Wake Me Up Inside
by QueenAly300
Summary: [Bella/Rosalie] Rosalie never hated Bella. Instead she tried to protect her from the inevitable danger she found herself in, whether it was nomads, humans or her own brother. She could never figure out why she did it. Until one day she did.
1. Chapter 1

Rosalie POV

It had been less than twenty four hours since Edward saved Bella from that moronic boys van and I was on edge. As far as my family knew I was mad about Edward saving Bella and almost exposing us as vampire. There was some truth to that. Edward was an idiot. He could have saved her without sticking around to get the credit. Him playing hero almost outed us.

They all thought I was mad that Bella was saved. That wasn't even close to being true. I was mad because Edward had been the one to save her. What my family didn't know is that I tried to save her. I started to run after her. Unfortunately Edward is faster than me. He got to her first. I doubted even Alice saw me try to save her. It wasn't so much a decision as an instinct.

The crowd surrounding the van had disappeared now that Bella was being taken to the hospital. Edward had insisted. For once I actually agreed with him. Although the van never touched her when it came to Bella it was always better to be safe.

Suddenly I was not in the mood to go to school. I did not want to hear whispers about Bella in the halls. The majority of the school didn't care about her. She was simply the shiny new toy at school. It was disgusting but I didn't expect much from humans.

I could feel Jasper and Emmett's eyes on me as I turned away from them. I could hear the questions they were asking. 'Where are you going?' and 'What are you doing?' But I chose to ignore it. Alice said nothing. She knew where I was going, probably as soon as I made the decision to not go to school, maybe even before that.

I decided to go hunting. It wasn't that I needed to feed. It just gave me some time to myself so I could think.

I had no idea what was wrong with me. I never cared about the safety of humans before. While I wasn't about killing innocent humans, if one was to die it wouldn't bother me, and I wouldn't try to save them.

I didn't know what it was about Bella that made me want to save her. She was different than the normal humans I dealt with. Still that wasn't reason enough for me to want to save someone.

I couldn't figure out Edward's interest in her either. Other than Bella being his singer. Despite my issues with Edward I had to admire his self-control. I knew from Emmett that it was next to impossible to resist your singer. Yet here Edward was, saving her life.

There was something I didn't trust about Edward's motives. I didn't know what it was about him that I didn't trust. I wasn't going to tell anyone about my suspicions until I was certain. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a big fight.

I jumped up onto a tree branch and sat down. I closed my eyes and took in my surroundings. This was as close to sleep as I could get and I found it relaxing. I didn't like to do it often as it was easy for someone, or something to sneak up on me. Emmett did it once because he thought it would be funny. He didn't do it again after I ripped his arm off and hit him with it.

Emmett. I sighed. I had almost forgotten about him. Emmett and I were as close as a pair of vampires could be while not being a mated pair. Originally we were thought to be mated. Carlisle's idea when he saw that I carried Emmett several miles so Carlisle could change him.

I did see something in Emmett that made me want to save him. I wasn't sure what it was. Even now I wasn't sure what gave me the strength to save him. But it didn't matter. He was my best friend and I couldn't imagine not having him around.

"Rose," Emmett's soft voice called from the forest ground, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Emmett," I greeted, opening my eyes.

"Alice sent me," he told me. "She thought you could use someone to talk to."

Of course she did. "Did she tell you…" I trailed off. I didn't want to tell him if he didn't already know.

Emmett shook his head. "She knows whatever is going on with you but she refused to tell me. Told me you would tell me if I needed to know." He jumped into the same tree as me and sat down. Looking at Emmett you would never know he could move with such grace. It was a word often used to describe the rest of us but not Emmett.

"What's going on Rose?" Emmett asked me. "You're never this quiet."

I glared at him. He put his hands up in surrender. I sighed. "I don't know Emmett," I admitted. "When that van went toward Bella," I shuddered at the thought, "I was going to save her but Edward got there first."

Emmett stared at me. His mouth hanging open. "What? Why?" he managed to choke out.

"I don't know," I said frustrated. "I've never cared about humans before. But this human… I don't know what it is. I want her safe."

Emmett frowned. I could tell he didn't know either. "Alright," he said after a couple minutes of silence. "I will help you figure it out." Another few minutes of silence passed. "Carlisle said Bella is fine."

"Good," I said not looking up from my already perfect nails. It felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest.

"I overheard Edward talking to Carlisle," Emmett continued. "He's going to avoid Bella. He thinks it's best for her."

"Edward's an idiot," I muttered to myself.

"True," Emmett agreed with a laugh. "But you have to give him props. He's lasted longer than I would have against his singer."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled.

"Are you going to hide up here all day?" Emmett asked.

We had been sitting here quietly for almost an hour now, which was a surprise for Emmett. Occasionally a deer would pass by and we would take turns feeding. Years of being together allowed us to hunt without feeling threatened by the other.

I shrugged. "Maybe." I honestly didn't know what my plan was or why I didn't want to go home. It wasn't like I did anything.

"Are you worried Edward will know?" Emmett asked.

I snorted. I didn't care what he thought. Then again I also didn't want him focusing on my thoughts. It was a lot easier to hide my thoughts from him when he didn't suspect anything. It meant he wouldn't hear most of what I was thinking.

"Worried no," I said finally. "I doubt he noticed. But if he did I don't want to deal with his questions."

Emmett nodded in understanding. "I get it but at the same time you can't hide here forever."

I pulled out my phone to check the time, ignoring the many missed calls from Alice. "Do you feel like going on a rip to Port Angeles?" I asked. "I need to pick up a couple parts."

Emmett grinned. "Road trip," he exclaimed jumping off the tree.

I rolled my eyes and jumped off the tree. "We'll have to take my car since your jeep is still at the school."

It was a quick run back to the house to get my car. My car was my pride and joy, a BMW M3 Convertible. It was a great car, a little flashy for a town like Forks but none of us cared.

On top of my BMW I was also rebuilding a 1971 Corvette. It wasn't in good shape when I bought it but it was a nice project, expensive but that meant nothing to us. I liked rebuilding cars. It gave me something to do other than go back to high school for the hundredth time. Most of the time I would resell the car for a profit. It was how I made most of my personal money.

"What do you need?" Emmett asked once we were out of Forks.

"A lot," I answered. Emmett didn't know cars all that well. "Brakes don't work, power steering is out and I need new bulbs for the headlights. That doesn't even scratch the surface. I also need a new set of wrenches."

Emmett laughed and I glared at him. "That's the third set this month."

"The bolt wouldn't come off," I cried out in frustration. I left out the part where I turned the bolt into dust due to my anger.

"Sure Rosie," Emmett said with a grin.

By the time we got to Port Angeles it was lunch time which meant there wouldn't be many humans around. I pulled into the small parking lot beside the auto parts shop. I ignored the staring from several males in the parking lot. I couldn't tell if they were staring at me or the car and I honestly didn't care.

Just as I predicted the store was empty when Emmett and I got there. Not that it was all that busy at other times during the day. This shop specialized in uncommon parts and uncommon typically meant expensive. There weren't many people that could afford to shop here.

"Rosalie," the owner of the shop, Jeffery, called. As far as humans go Jeffery was a decent guy. He never stared at me for which I was grateful.

"Jeffery," I greeted. Emmett stared at me. He wasn't used to me being almost nice to someone. "Do you have what I ordered?"

"I do. I'll go get it." He walked to the back of the shop where he kept all the special orders.

While I waited Emmett and I wandered through the aisles. There was no reason to order the headlights as they had them in stock.

"I'll grab the tools," Emmett offered. He walked away before I could say anything.

Emmett return less than a minute later with a full set of wrenches, a brand new fully stocked tool box and a basket to put everything in. "Thank you," I said.

Jeffery came back with several boxes. Emmett grabbed a few boxes to help him out. "Thanks," Jeffery huffed. "I'm the only one here today." He put the rest of the boxes on the counter. He glanced in my basket. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Not today," I told him.

He rang up my orders. The parts I special ordered were already paid for but everything else was not. "That will be $123.34."

I handed over my credit card and waited. The nice part about Jeffery was he was quick. No meaningless small talk to pass the time. Emmett and I grabbed out stuff and left.

By the time we got back to Forks school was out and everyone was home except for Carlisle, who was still at hospital.

"You want me to talk this stuff to your garage?"

"No," I shouted. Emmett had caused far too much destruction in the past for me to want him anywhere near my garage. There's a reason I demanded to have my own garage, separate from the rest of the family.

I unloaded my car as quickly as I could before heading up to my room to shower. We didn't need to shower but it was something I enjoyed doing. It made me feel a little more human.

When I got to my room I found Alice, Jasper and Emmett waiting for me. "What do you want?"

"Edward is avoiding Bella again," Alice informed me. It was hard to tell if she was happy or sad because of it.

"Why would I care?" I snapped. Sometimes I hated having siblings with powers.

"Rosie," Emmett said as Jasper growled at me for snapping at his mate.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's okay Jazz," Alice said patting Jasper's hand. He relaxed under her touch.

"Why is Edward avoiding Bella?" I questioned. Although what I really wanted to know was why Alice was telling me.

"To keep her safe, or so he says," Alice answered. "It won't last long."

"Is he going to tell her about us?" I asked sharply. This was not good.

Alice frowned. "He hasn't made any decisions. But his future keeps changing. He's too undecided on things and because of that Bella's future is changing. There is one thing that hasn't changed. Bella will be one of us."

I glared at the wall. I hated the thought of changing anyone that had another choice. "Please tell me this was necessary, that she was dying."

"I wish I could," Alice said sadly. "I can't tell what's leading up to her change, just that she will be a vampire."

"Does that mean I get to meet her now?" Emmett asked excited. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Emmett to focus on the positive.

"Not just yet." Emmett pouted. "Soon though," Alice added.

"I'm going to go hunt and… prepare for this meeting," Jasper announced. I knew the idea of being around a human was making him uncomfortable. It didn't matter if he met her today or next month. He would still hunt often.

"I'll come with you," Emmett said, even though he didn't need to hunt.

The two of them left leaving only Alice and I.

"Rose," Alice began. "Look out for Bella. I know you act like you don't care but you and I both know you will try to protect her. I saw what you tried to do," she added before I could protest.

"Have you seen something Alice?" I asked. I was worried the rest of the family would know my strange desire to keep this human alive.

"Nobody knows if that's what you're worried about," Alice informed me. "I just have this feeling. I can't explain it."

"I'll keep an eye on her," I decided. I told myself the only reason I was agreeing was because I was already watching out for her and not because I care.

Something told me Alice wouldn't believe that. I wasn't even sure if I did.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella POV

Fear flooded my body as the van came barreling toward me. I wanted to move out of the way. The smart thing to do was to move out of the way. But I couldn't. I felt paralyzed.

My eyes darted across the parking lot. A few stared in horror as the van slid closer to me. Finally, my eyes settled on the Cullens.

The smallest one, Alice I think her name was, look equally horrified. The two older males, Jasper and Emmett, looked unaffected by what was happening. The two that really caught my attention were Edward and the other sister, Rosalie if I remembered right.

I was certain this was the first time Edward had looked at me since my first day at school. But instead of the usual hostility he showed me he looked terrified. The same went for Rosalie, although it wasn't as noticeable on her.

I swear I saw Rosalie move toward me slightly. Before I couldn't even begin to process why, or if I actually saw it, Edward was next to me and so was the van.

Edward was staring at me. His eyes looked unnaturally black. It took all my willpower to look away from him. What I saw stunned me. In the side of the can was an indent and in the middle of the indent was his hand.

"Wha… h… how?" I stuttered out. This wasn't possible. There was no way he stopped a van with his hand and there was no mark on him. Things like this didn't happen.

Edward turned so his face was inches from mine. "Not here," Edward breathed. His cool breath washed over me and my thoughts became hazy.

Edward pushed away the van and got up. No one else seemed to notice him as they allowed surrounded me. "Bella," Tyler exclaimed climbing out of the van. There was a cut on his forehead. Made me wonder if he was wearing a seatbelt. "I'm so sorry Bella. I hit some ice and lost control. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Tyler," I said quickly before he could say he was sorry again. This whole incident was embarrassing and I wanted it over as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately luck was not on my side. The sound of sirens were getting closer and closer and I knew someone had called an ambulance. I crossed my arms over my chest and vowed to stay in this spot until the paramedics left.

I wondered if Edward knew what I was thinking because he grabbed me by the arm and lifted me off the ground. I glared at him. "I am not going in that ambulance," I informed him as two ambulances pulled in the parking lot.

"Please," Edward said, his sweet scent hit me again.

"Fine," I agreed although I have no idea why. "But no gurney."

Edward laughed. "Deal," he said.

"How did you get to me so quick?" I questioned.

"I was standing right next to you Bella," Edward said as the paramedics started piling out of their vehicles.

"No." I shook my head. "You were by your car. I saw you."

"I was right next to you," Edward said again, staring at me.

The paramedics loaded Tyler in the ambulance first. He had the most severe injuries out of the two of us. I felt bad for him as they forced him onto the gurney, complete with the neck brace. It made sense considering he was in a car accident.

Edward followed me to the ambulance. "Sir are you related?" one of the paramedics asked.

"No," Edward replied.

"Then you can't go in there," he said. "You can meet us at the hospital."

Edward's now dark gold eyes seemed to darken more. He looked like he was ready to protest. Before any words came out, he cocked his head to the side. He sighed and nodded. "Very well," he agreed. "Please take care of her."

The ride to the hospital was anything but quiet. Question after question came from the paramedics. They seemed to buy my answers, despite how vague the answers were when it came to how I managed not to get crushed. I was told I would still have to see the doctor just in case.

Which was why I was currently sitting on a bed in the emergency room, waiting for the doctor to arrive. Tyler was a few beds down, constantly apologizing. It was starting to get frustrating.

"Bella," Charlie exclaimed. I looked up and saw Charlie speed walking over to me. He was still in his police uniform. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Charlie," I sighed. Of course they told Charlie. As if this day couldn't get any worse.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Tyler's van hit ice and he lost control," I explained. Charlie turned and scanned the room. His eyes locked on Tyler. "Dad it was an accident."

Charlie waved a finger at Tyler. "You're lucky no one got hurt Tyler," Charlie told him. "Be more careful or you won't be driving anymore."

"Yes sir," Tyler gulped. I could see how relieved he was to not be arrested or lose his license. He turned his attention to me. "I really am sorry."

"I know. I'm not mad at you," I assured him.

"Isabella Swan," another voice said.

"Bella," I corrected automatically. I looked in the direction of the new voice and saw a young, blonde doctor. His eyes were a light gold, similar to Edward's. This must be doctor Cullen, Edward's adoptive father. But that made no sense. They looked too much alike for Edward to be adoptive and Dr. Cullen was too young for Edward to be his son by blood.

"Bella," Dr. Cullen said with a smile. "I'm Dr. Cullen. I apologize for the delay. Charlie, good to see you again. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances."

"Carlisle," Charlie greeted with a nod. "How is she?"

Dr. Cullen flipped through my chart briefly and put it back. He pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket. He shined it in my eye and moved his finger back and forth. "Everything looks fine. Any dizziness or nausea?" I shook my head. "Good. I'll have the nurse get the discharge papers together. Keep an on her Charlie, just in case."

"Dr. Cullen can you thank Edward for me?" I asked. "He pushed me out of the way."

"Edward," Charlie repeated. "Your boy?"

"Yes, it sounds like you were very lucky Bella," Dr. Cullen said. He refused to look at me, almost as if he was hiding something.

While I waited for Charlie to sign the papers I wandered through the ER. I passed by the nurses' station for the third time when I heard Edward's familiar voice. I moved closer to try and hear what he was saying.

"It's too dangerous Carlisle, for us and for her," Edward said.

"She will have questions," Carlisle insisted. "We…"

They both stopped and turned to look at me. Edward took one look at me and walked away. Carlisle sighed. "I'm sorry," I told him. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine," Carlisle said. "We were done."

"Bella," Charlie called. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I said relived to finally be getting out of the hospital. I hated hospitals. There was too many needles and too much blood.

The drive home was quiet. It was a comfortable silence since Charlie and I never talked much. We did stop at the diner to pick up lunch.

Charlie was taking his role as protective father a little too seriously. He helped me get settled in my room. I had my lunch, a garden burger and fries, and Wuthering Heights to keep me company. Every twenty minutes or so Charlie would come by to see if I needed anything. I knew he was taking Dr. Cullens words to heart and keeping an eye on me.

The next day at school was torture. I think almost everyone in the school asked me how I was. Tyler started following me around and trying to carry my books. One of the Cullens, Emmett, had walked over to me the first time he tried. Tyler was so scared of him that he practically ran away. He had been avoiding me since.

"Bella right?" Emmett asked. I nodded. Why was a Cullen talking to me? They all ignored me. It was rather frustrating. And why Emmett of all people? Alice I would understand as we had a couple of classes together. But Emmett was a year older than me. I had never interacted with him. "I'm Emmett."

"Hi." I wasn't sure how I was supposed to respond to him. He seemed so… cheerful. It wasn't normal.

"Here, let me get that," Emmett said taking my backpack before I had a chance to protest. "What class do you have?"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked ignoring his question. This made no sense. I saw his face when the van was coming toward me. He didn't care.

Emmett looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you and your family when the van was coming toward me," I informed him. "You and your brother didn't care then so why do you care now?"

I couldn't make out the expression on Emmett's face. He looked guilty but that couldn't be right. "I did care… do care," he corrected. "Me and Jasper, we're just not good at showing emotions. I'm glad you're okay."

I sighed. Maybe I was letting this thing with Edward get to my head. Now I was suspicious of everyone. "Fine, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said cheerfully.

"Where is Edward?" I asked once I realized I didn't see him with the rest of his family.

"He wasn't feeling well," Emmett answered. Somehow I didn't believe that. It was a little too convenient that the day after he saved my life, he was too sick to go to school.

We walked through the halls in silence. I got the feeling Emmett wasn't used to be being this quiet. But for me it was nice. After a couple of minutes, we stopped in front of my classroom. "Is this your class?" he asked.

It was but I had no idea how he figured that out. "Yes, it is. How did you know?"

Emmett ignored my question, much like I ignored his. To my surprise Emmett went inside the classroom with me. Once he figured out where my seat was, he carefully put my backpack down. "If you need anything let me know." With those final words he was gone.

Apparently Emmett's appearance was only enough to scare off Tyler. By the end of first period more than a dozen people had asked me how I was. By the end of second hour it was a lot less. I figured it had to do with Jessica being one of the people that asked. I'm sure she told anyone that would listen all about what happened. I doubt any of what she said was the truth.

I have never been happier than when the bell rang signifying that school was over for the day. I loved school but today was terrible. I had slipped on the ice twice. Both times Emmett had magically been around to catch me before I hit the ground. The gossiping had slowed down by the end of the day. No one asked anymore questions about the van incident.

"How was school?" Charlie asked over dinner.

"Fine," I answered. "A lot of people were talking about the accident yesterday."

Two more days passed before Edward showed up at school. A part of me was thrilled he returned. The other part was sick of him avoiding me. His siblings were much more welcoming than him. Well some of them at least.

Emmett had walked me to class every morning and for some reason Alice took over in the afternoon. Jasper would come once in a while but he seemed to be uncomfortable around me. The only one that seemed to actively avoid me was Rosalie.

I wondered if she regretted trying to save me. Granted she really didn't do anything but that saw that step in my direction. She planned on doing something. Unless she was planning on letting the van crush me. My stomach dropped, that had to be it.

"Hello Bella," Edward greeted as I sat down at our shared table.

"You're back," I stated.

"Yes, I was home sick for a few days," Edward said. He either didn't notice or didn't care that I didn't return his greeting. "How are you?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Really? You come back after saving my life and then lying about it and that's what you ask?"

"You're mad at me," Edward noted.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not anything with you."

Edward didn't have a chance to say anything since Mr. Banner began his lecture for the day. While I took notes I could feel Edward's eyes on me. I ignored it. I was mad at him, mad he was ignoring me and mad he was trying to act like he didn't do anything.

Biology seemed to go on and on. Edward stared at me most of the time. Every time I would get the courage to tell him to stop he would do his crooked half-smile and I would forget everything I was going to say.

"Bella," Mike exclaimed when I walked over to the table. "We are heading to La Push Saturday, you in?"

I looked to Angela for help. "La Push?" the name was vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it.

"Quileute Rez not far from here," Angela explained. "We like to go there and surf."

"Are you in?" Eric pressed.

"Yeah I'll go," I agreed. I needed a break from the drama here. "But I'm not surfing."


	3. Chapter 3

Rosalie POV

"You have got to stop avoiding Bella," Alice exclaimed, bursting into my room.

I glared at her. "Who says I'm avoiding her?" I asked. I was avoiding Bella but that wasn't the point.

"I do," Alice said. She plopped down onto my bed. "And so does she. I had a vision of her confronting you. It only lasted for thirty seconds and then she changed her mind. She thinks you wanted her to get hit by the van."

The brush I was holding snapped in half. "Why in the hell would she think I wanted her dead? Why would a human assume someone wants them dead?"

"Because you are ignoring her!" Alice yelled. "We have all taken the time to get to know her, to build relationships with her. Jasper is doing great. He's been close to her and I haven't had a single vision of him doing anything. And you can't get the god damned nerve to introduce yourself!"

Jasper came into the room, probably due to the heated emotions. "Everything alright here?" he asked, even though I was sure he knew the answer better than I did.

"I swear Rosalie," Alice continued completely ignoring Jasper's presence. "If anything happens to Bella because you're too busy being a coward…"

She didn't get a chance to finish. I was crouched down in front of her. Angry didn't even begin to cover how I was feeling. "You know nothing," I snarled.

Jasper started to crouch down but Alice put a hand on his shoulder. "Do not interfere," she told him. If I wasn't so angry I would have wondered about that. She turned her attention to me. "You are being selfish Rosalie and it's not fair to Bella. You haven't seen what I have. If you would just…"

She didn't get to finish what she was saying. Angry vampires were dangerous. I don't know what Alice was thinking pissing off an already angry vampire. At that moment I didn't care. I grabbed her and threw her through the window and out of the house.

Jasper was snarling as he jumped out of the house to go check on her. I jumped down as well, ready to attack Alice again if she started talking.

Jasper was crouched down in front of Alice. I could hear Alice trying to calm him but it wasn't working. Emmett, after hearing the noise, had joined us outside. He crouched down in front of me, ready to protect me if a fight broke out.

"What is going on?" Emmett asked. No one answered him.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale!" the very angry Esme yelled. Shit. I was in trouble. We may have been alive for more than a hundred years but Esme knew how to make us feel like a little kid. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Esme stormed outside with a spatula in her hand. I had no idea why she had a spatula, especially considering no one ate.

"Who said it was me?" I asked. I hoped I looked innocent.

Esme glared at me. "I saw Alice go flying out of the window," she said crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced at Jasper and Emmett still crouched down ready to attack. "Oh for Heaven's sake, knock it off you two. Jasper I understand you're upset but Alice is not hurt."

Emmett straightened up but didn't move from his position in front of me. Jasper took longer to move out of his crouch. The soothing words from Alice were enough to calm him.

"Rosalie," Esme said rounding on me. "I don't care what it was that Alice did to upset you. We do throw each other out of windows. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Good. Now you will fix that window or so help me…"

She didn't need to finish her train of thought. I knew exactly what would happen to me if I didn't do what she wanted. "Yes Esme," I said bowing my head.

"Good, now whatever is going on with you two," she looked between me and Alice, waving the spatula, "you need to fix it, now."

With those words Esme walked back to the house, pausing briefly to stare at the mess I made. Emmett followed Esme to the house leaving Alice, Jasper and I.

Jasper turned his attention to me. "Rosalie, you're my sister and I love you. But don't ever throw Alice out of a window again." The threat was there even if he didn't say it.

I nodded. Jasper ran off toward the woods, most likely to go hunting.

"Alice," I began.

Alice held up her hand. "Me first, please. I'm not sorry for what I said." I growled. I no longer wanted to apologize for throwing her out of the window. "Listen please. It wasn't my intention to hurt you but I had to say those things. I looked at many possible futures. It was the only one that worked. The only one that helped you."

"How did this help me?" I growled.

"I can't tell," Alice said sadly. "I know you don't trust me right now but please listen. I swear this is for your benefit. I know you don't trust me," she repeated. "But please try."

"I'm going to go hunt before I fix that window," I announced. Anything to get away from Alice and this conversation.

"Rosalie," Alice called when I got to the edge of the woods. I stopped but didn't turn around. "I know you keep an eye on her, just watch her around Edward please."

I had every intention of hunting but instead I ran. I had no destination in mind. I simply ran throughout Forks. I ran and ran until I found myself outside of a familiar house, Bella's house. I had never been here but everyone in town knew where Chief Swan lived.

I climbed the tree next to her house and watched. I could smell Bella from outside as well another human which I assume was her father, Charlie. The scents were similar enough that it had to be someone related to Bella.

I also smelled Edward. It wasn't as strong as Bella's scent, or even Charlie's scent, which meant he wasn't here now but still he had been here recently.

I watched Bella for a minute. She was working on homework. She was mouthing something to herself. I recognized it as math problems. It was a way in for me. I could help her with homework. It would make Alice happy if nothing else.

Another minute had passed and I jumped down from the tree and ran back home. I would not be some creepy stalker. She was safe and I didn't need to watch her.

There was something else that bothered me. Edward's scent. It was all over the tree I was in. I had no idea if it was inside. It was hard to tell without going inside myself. That was something I would never do unless I was invited.

The thought of him inside her room without her knowledge made me want to rip him into pieces. I had no idea why I felt like that. It was a feeling I couldn't identify, something I had never felt before.

I pushed myself off the rock I was leaning on. It was time to fix the window I broke. Thoughts of Bella were pushed to the back of my mind while set off to work. Luckily we had the supplies in a shed behind the house. Esme always kept extra windows and home repair supplies on hand.

I was putting the final touches on the window when I heard footsteps behind me and caught his scent. It was Edward.

"What were you doing outside of Bella's house?" Edward demanded. Well hello to you too brother. He didn't acknowledge my thoughts.

"I was checking on her," I responded. It was mostly true. I did check on her but that wasn't the reason for going there. "Why was your scent all over the place?"

"That's none of your concern," Edward said crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were in her room," I realized. "Did she know you were in her room?" Nothing. "So she didn't. You've done a lot of messed up shit Edward but going into her room without her knowing is topping the list."

My thoughts went to the night I became a vampire. One of the worst things about being a vampire, besides the never aging and no chance of ever having a family, was my memory. I would forever remember the night my fiancé, at the time, gang raped and murdered me.

It was always my first reaction when it came to men. It was one of the reasons Emmett and I never worked out. Even though I trusted him more than anyone else, I couldn't never get over that fear that he was going to hurt me. After being thrown through so many walls Emmett realized it as well.

Edward looked horrified by my thoughts. "I would never."

I felt a little guilty about my thoughts. I knew Edward well enough to know that he would never do something like that. He was a decent guy, young and immature sure, but he wasn't Royce. "I know," I said with a sigh.

Nothing I could say would stop him, but I vowed to keep an eye on him. Alice's warning echoed through my brain. Was this what she was trying to warn me about? Would Edward kill her in her room? She was his singer after all. Would we have to leave because of it?

"I like her Rose," Edward said. It was like he was begging me to understand what he was doing. I would never understand hiding in a teenage girl's room.

One of the perks of being a vampire was we could think of many different things at once. It made it easy for us to hide our thoughts from Edward. It wasn't perfect. Only our main thoughts were accessible to Edward, if something we wanted hidden came to the forefront of our mind. Then he would know. Practice made it easier.

"I don't care," I said honestly. I really didn't care if he liked her or not.

Edward gave up and left my room. I briefly contemplated getting a do not disturb for my door.


	4. Chapter 4

Bella POV

Monday's were always my least favorite day of the week. Everyone came back from school with an unusual amount of energy. Boys were rowdy and the girls were talkative. It made school even worse than it normally was. The plus to today was the fact that it was sunny outside. I missed the sun. It was the one thing Forks was lacking.

I glanced across the cafeteria. The Cullen's usual table was empty. After the trip to La Push I wasn't surprised. They wouldn't do well in the sun. I pulled out a notebook and continued jotting down notes.

Tomorrow I planned on driving to Port Angeles. There was a bookstore there that had a book with more information about the Quileute legends and the cold ones. Jacob had told me some of their legends but it felt like he was hiding something. Tomorrow I would figure out what that something was.

Charlie had already given approval for me to head to Port Angeles. He was worried about my truck making the trip but I promised I would call if something happened. While there he did ask that I head to the candy store in town and pick up some homemade fudge. With all the animal attacks going on the Deputies had to work overtime. Charlie wanted to do something nice for his employees.

By the time lunch was over I had my list for Port Angeles completed as well as a list of weird things I noticed about the Cullens. First on the list being when Edward saved me from the van.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked pulling me from my thoughts.

I quickly closed my notebook. The last thing I needed was for Angela, or anyone, to see my notes regarding the Cullens. It would make me look like a stalker or something.

"Fine Angela, why?" I asked. I was confused. Why wouldn't I be okay?

"You didn't eat," she gestured toward the full plate of food in front of me.

"Oh." I didn't even realize I hadn't eaten. I was so busy. "I wasn't hungry"

"Are you sure?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I assured her. I quickly cleaned up my tray and belongings and headed to my next class.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. Angela kept staring at me, almost like she expected me to break. Whatever Angela thought was wrong with me she didn't tell the others. Other than the occasional glances from Mike and Eric our group of friends pretty much ignored me.

Instead of going straight home I decided to stop at the station and check on Charlie. I normally made dinner every night and was having trouble thinking of what to cook tonight. I was hoping to get some ideas from Charlie.

The station was mostly empty when I arrived. There were a couple cops wandering around and the receptionist. I walked up to the receptionist, Ms. Cobb. She was a nice lady. I had met her during one of my summers in Forks.

"Bella," she greeted with a smile.

"Ms. Cobb, is my dad around?" I asked. As much as I liked Ms. Cobb, she was very talkative and I didn't have time, or energy, for that.

"He is in his office," Ms. Cobb confirmed. "Go ahead."

I walked past her desk and went straight to Charlie's office. "Bella," he said surprised. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I assured him. "I was heading home and couldn't think of what to cook for dinner. I was wondering if you had any ideas?"

Charlie tapped his chin. Food was a serious topic for him. It was amusing at times. "What about your famous blue cheese burgers and fries?" he suggested.

"Sure," I agreed. It had been a while since I made that. It sounded good. I figured I could make a chocolate cake to go with it.

Charlie reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He picked through it and pulled out multiple twenty-dollar bills. My eyes widened when I saw it was $100. "Use it to get what you need, keep the change and use it tomorrow when you go to Port Angeles."

"Dad," I protested. "This was way too much."

"Nonsense Bella," he said dismissing my protests. "Take the money."

"Thanks Dad," I said giving him a side hug. Neither one of us was good at emotions but every so often Charlie would do something like this and it was hard for me not to react.

"Anytime Bella," he said embarrassed.

I pulled away from him and tucked the money away. "Let me know if you will be home late," I told him before I left the police station.

I sighed as the sun disappeared behind clouds. It was nice while it lasted.

There wasn't much traffic as I drove to Ray's Grocery. The parking lot was practically empty which was nice. I wanted to get in and get out as quickly as possible.

I grabbed a basket and rolled my way through the store. I mentally took inventory of what we had at home. We had the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Unfortunately, that was all, at least all that I could remember.

The dry ingredients were first on the list, along with a chocolate cake mix. I made my way to the meat and grabbed the ground beef. I wouldn't have time to make homemade fries so I went to the frozen food aisle and grabbed a bag of French fries. Last on my list was the blue cheese and so ice cream to go with the cake.

Satisfied I got everything I needed I went to the checkout. I wasn't watching where I was going and ran into the wall.

"Oomph," I groaned.

I looked up, expecting to see the wall I ran into. It wasn't a wall. It was a person, judging by the gold eyes and pale skin it was a Cullen.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked concerned.

I ran into her and she was concerned about me. This family was strange. "I'm fine." I assured her. "I'm sorry for bumping into you."

"It's no trouble dear. I'm Esme by the way. Esme Cullen," she introduced, offering her hand.

It was weird. Despite all my interactions with Jasper, Alice, Emmett and even Edward, they never once touched me. They were very careful about not touching me. I had always assumed they had a thing about touching people. After my trip to La Push I wasn't so sure.

"Bella Swan," I said shaking her hand. Her hand was like ice cubes. It wasn't normal, unless it was a condition of some kind.

"Nice to meet you Bella," Esme said with a smile. She was oblivious to my inner monologue. "Well I should be going. I promised to bake some cookies for my husband's patients, something to brighten their day. Say hello to your father for me."

"I will," I promised.

We parted ways, going to two different checkout lines. I quickly paid my total, just under $50 and left the store. There was no sign of Esme anywhere so I assumed she was already gone.

As soon as I got home I got to work. I made the patties and set them aside for the time being. I wouldn't cook them until Charlie was almost home.

I cleaned up my messed and got started on the cake. I preferred cooking to baking but I had no trouble preparing the cake. Once the cake was in the oven I cleaned up the kitchen again.

While the cake was baking I worked on homework. I didn't have a whole lot to do, just some math problems and an outline for my essay on _Of Mice and Men._ I paused only to pull the cake out.

The phone rang, pulling me away from the headache that was trig. "Hello," I answered.

"_Bella," _Charlie said. "_I'm leaving the station now."_

I nodded even though he can't see me. "See you when you get home."

I hung up the phone and cleaned up my homework, creating a neat pile on the edge of the table.

I heated the oven got the pan out for the burger. I made six patties and planned on cooking them all so there would be leftovers for Charlie.

"Bella," Charlie called walking into the house. "Kitchen," I called back.

"Smells good," Charlie commented walking into the kitchen.

"Thanks Dad."

"Need any help?" Charlie asked, just as the oven beeped signaling that the fries were done.

"Can you grab that?" I was currently toasting some buns for the burgers and wasn't able to get the fries. Charlie quickly shut off the oven and pulled the fries out. "Sprinkle some salt on them."

Ten minutes later dinner was ready. While I did some last-minute preparations, Charlie went to change and lock his gun up.

"This is great Bells," Charlie said in between mouthfuls of food.

"Thanks Dad," I said, embarrassed at the praise. "Dad." Charlie looked up. "Would it be okay if I got a job?"

"A job?" Charlie repeated dropping a fry on his plate. "Why?"

I shrugged. "It would be nice to make some money. You know, save up for college."

Charlie looked thoughtful. "Yeah that would be fine." He picked the fry up and waved it at me. "But school comes first."

After dinner Charlie offered to clean the kitchen. I carried my school work upstairs and finished my homework.

School was moving too slow for my liking. I was in a hurry to leave. The sooner I got to Port Angeles, the better. As soon as the bell rang I was out of the classroom. I could hear Mike and Angela trying to get my attention. I felt bad for ignoring them but I was in a hurry.

By the time I got to Port Angeles it was close to four in the afternoon. Although it was a slow drive my truck did fairly well.

I parked next to the bookstore and made my way inside. The bookstore was empty, for a Tuesday night that was to be expected.

The door chimed as I walked inside. "Welcome," an older, Native man greeted. I wondered if he was from La Push. "Do you need help finding anything?"

"No thanks," I told him.

I wandered through the many rows of books. Despite being a relatively small bookstore there was a large variety of books. I sighed in relief when I found what I was looking for.

It was a book on Quileute legends, although there was only one legend I cared about. I flipped through the book. I wanted to make sure it had what I needed before I bought it. Sure enough chapter four was about the Cold Ones.

I spent a little more time in the bookstore in case there was something else that would catch my eye. After a while I gave up and headed to the register, book in hand. The shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly at the sight of it. So he was Quileute then. I was probably the first pale face interested in Quileute legends.

"Your total is $21.73," he informed me. He looked like he wanted to say something about the book but for whatever reason didn't.

By the time I left the bookstore it was starting to get dark. I wasn't worried. I would grab the chocolate for Charlie, grab some dinner and then head home.

Unfortunately, I didn't plan for this part of my trip that well. I turned into an alleyway, hoping to cut through and find the store. My heart pounded in my chest when I four guys, hanging out in the alley. All of them looked to be college aged, with their beers in hand.

"Hey boys, look at this," one of the guys called.

I turned around. I was just going to drive around instead of walking. It was safer that way. I should have done it in the first place.

To my horror, there were two more guys behind me. "Where are you going sweetheart?" He reached out and stroked my cheek.

"Don't touch me," I said spitting on him. I needed to buy myself some time to get away.

Spitting on him only angered him. He threw me down on the ground. My hands slid on the gravel and I could feel the sting of a cut. I had fallen so many times that the feelings were familiar.

The other man reached over and smacked me across the face. I spit out the blood, my blood on the floor. He lifted his hand, like he was going to hit me again. I closed my eyes and waited for the blow but it never came.

I slowly opened my eyes. I heard some screams but couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from. In front of me were two of the guys, both were dead, blood flowing from wounds on their necks.

I turned in the direction of the other men. It was the same as the two in front of me. All dead. That wasn't what caught my attention.

Standing in front of those men was Edward. He no longer had his gold eyes. Instead they were crimson red and matched the blood dripping from his chin. He crouched down and stalked toward me.

In that moment, I knew I was about to die.


	5. Chapter 5

Rosalie POV

"No, no, no, this isn't supposed to happen," I heard Alice's frantic voice say. This wouldn't be the first time she had said something like this. The last time had to do with some shoes she wanted that had sold out. "Rosalie," she screeched flying down the stairs.

This caught my attention. I had never heard her in such a panic before. Carlisle and Esme moved into the living room with me while Emmett and Jasper dropped their controllers. They were all equally curious and concerned by whatever Alice had seen.

"Port Angeles," she said when she got to me. "You need to get to Port Angeles now. Bella—"

That was all I needed to hear. I took off running. It was faster for me to run than drive.

I got to Port Angeles in about a minute. Now all I had to do was find Bella. That's when I smelled it. It hit me like a truck. Human blood, a lot of human blood.

I ran to the source of the blood and found Bella on the ground. She looked terrified. Around her were half a dozen human males, all dead. That was the source of the blood I had smelled. Standing among the bodies was Edward. I didn't have to look at his face to know his eyes were red.

In the blink of an eye I was crouched down in front of Bella, ready to defend her. In a fight between me and Edward I would lose. I knew that. Not only was he faster than me but with his ability to read minds he would see every move I would make. I had no chance. But I would defend Bella until the end. With any luck Edward would snap out of his bloodlust and I would survive this.

I took a moment to check on Bella. I needed to know if she was hurt, and if she was hurt how bad it was. I glanced at her terrified face. Our eyes locked and something clicked in my brain. My life now revolved around this girl, around Bella. Nothing would be more important to me than her safety. I would do anything for her, be anything for her.

I had found my mate.

I couldn't dwell on these thoughts. I would have to process through them later. Right now I had to figure out how to get Bella and I out of this.

Edward moved closer to us. Any second he would attack and I needed to be prepared. He managed one step toward me. I growled at him, warning him to stop. He leapt at us but before he could make contact with me a familiar body flew through the air and crashed like thunder into Edward.

Jasper had arrived.

He wasn't the only one nearby. I felt movement to my left. I growled at whoever it was.

"Easy Rose," Emmett said holding his hands up. "It's just me."

"Emmett," I said straightening up. Emmett was no threat to me or my mate. "What are you doing here?"

"Alice sent us," he explained. "She had a vision of you of fighting Edward, and losing. Figured you needed back up." He looked in the direction of the woods that Jasper and Edward had flown into and shook his head. "I can't believe Edward."

"We need to get Bella out of here," I told him. At this moment I could care less about Edward. Jasper would deal with him.

I turned and pulled Bella off the ground and into my arms. "Wait," Bella protested. "My truck and I was supposed to pick up fudge for Charlie."

Bella was attacked by human filth and almost killed by a vampire and all she cares about is her crappy truck and chocolate. This girl had some strange priorities.

I glanced at Emmett and he nodded. I grabbed the keys from Bella's pocket and tossed them to Emmett. Bella looked like she wanted to protest but she said nothing. "Emmett will drive your truck back and pick up the chocolate," I informed her. I caught sight of a plastic bag, with a book on Quileute legends instead. I nodded toward the bag and Emmett grabbed it.

The growls from the woods were getting louder. "Sure will Bella." He glanced at the bodies surrounding us. "After I help Jasper and clean up this mess."

Emmett took off running into the woods where Jasper and Edward were fighting.

"Bella," I called getting my mate's attention. She looked at me. "We need to go. I need to get you checked out by Carlisle. Do you trust me to get you to my house?" She hesitated for half a minute before nodding.

I had never run with a human before. I didn't know the best way to carry her, the best way to make sure she was safe. I settled with carrying her bridal style. She tucked her head into my shoulder and I took off running.

I could hear Bella's moans of pain as we ran. I wasn't sure what was causing the pain. I could smell her blood but it had no affect on me. Mated pairs were unable to harm each other. Perhaps it was her hands that hurt? It didn't matter right now as there wasn't anything I could. The quicker I got home, the better off Bella would be.

Carlisle was standing at the front door when I got close to the house. Alice must have told him I was coming. "Carlisle," I called. I was at the edge of the woods, about a hundred feet from the door. "There's some blood, not a lot but…"

He nodded. "Esme went to the store," he informed me. "Alice opened up all the windows. She's confident she will be fine around the blood. Bring Bella inside."

I walked to the house, slower than a normal human. The living room was redone. The table was cleared except for the towels covering it. There were several of Carlisle's instruments all over the place. Carlisle prepared for the worst. I was relieved that what he had brought out wasn't needed.

I carefully sat Bella on the table. "No, no way," Bella said trying to get off the table.

I used one hand to keep her in place. "This is a little overboard," I told Carlisle so quietly Bella couldn't hear.

Carlisle looked at me and then looked up. "My original vision had Bella in much worse shape," Alice said from upstairs. I shuddered at the thought. "I wanted Carlisle to be prepared, just in case."

Bella stared at me and Carlisle. It was almost as if she knew what was going on. "Sit still," I instructed.

"I'm fine," Bella insisted as Carlisle poked at her hands.

"Alice grab some tweezers," Carlisle instructed, ignoring Bella's protests.

"Are you going to tell her about us?" Alice asked too quietly for Bella to hear.

"I'm pretty sure I will have to," I answered.

Carlisle worked on removing the bits of gravel from cuts. "Why is that?" it was curiosity, not judgment.

"Six dead bodies and Edward trying to kill her," I replied. "How else would we explain it?"

"She won't believe the lies," Alice announced to us. "Rose is right. The truth is the only way."

"These wounds won't need stitches," Carlisle said once he was done cleaning them. He studied the left hand. "This hand will need to be bandaged."

Alice handed him various bandages, know that I wouldn't move from my position beside Bella. Bella groaned and I fought back a smile. "I'm going to call Charlie and tell him about the sleepover," Alice told us.

"What sleepover?" I questioned confused.

"The sleepover Bella was invited to when we ran into her in Port Angeles," Alice said like it was obvious. I rolled my eyes. I'm assuming her plan was going to work, otherwise she never would have said it. "Plus it gives you time to help her with her homework like you wanted."

"Perhaps we should ask Bella before making plans for her," Carlisle suggested.

"I already saw her agreeing," Alice said. Sometimes she didn't get that just because things worked out in her visions doesn't mean she could skip asking. "She wants answers. Strangely enough she seems to trust us, well you." The last part was directed at me.

"I think she already knows," I said, remembering the book on Quileute legends.

"All set," Carlisle announced to Bella.

"Thanks Dr. Cullen," Bella said, flexing her hand.

"Carlisle," he corrected.

"Bella," I called softly. "Alice… well we were wondering if you would like to stay…"

Alice cut me off. "We are having a sleepover," she exclaimed.

Bella looked back and forth between us. "If you want," I added.

"Will you answer my questions?" she asked. She was staring directly at me.

"Yes," I said honestly. There was no point in hiding the truth, even if I wanted to. Lying was the worst things I could do if she already knew, or suspected the truth.

"I'll stay," she agreed. "But Charlie…"

"He will agree to the sleepover," Alice assured her. She left the room to go make the call.

"Why would he agree to a sleepover on a school night?" Bella asked confused.

"Alice has a way with people," I answered. Bella glared at me. "It's the truth. She's good at convincing people to do things."

Carlisle took that moment to slip out of the room and dispose of the blood towels. I helped Bella off the table. "Are Jasper and Emmett going to be okay?'

I laughed. "They are fine." Bella didn't look convinced. I doubt my laughing helped. "Jasper has experience dealing with stuff like this. Emmett is strong. Not much can stop him."

"Is it true?" she whispered. "Are you all really one of the Cold Ones?"

"We prefer the term vampires," I informed her. "But yes we are the Cold Ones. I mean that literally. The vampires that the Quileute's wrote about was Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett and myself. Alice and Jasper hadn't joined us at the time."

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Physically 18," I said honestly. "But I've been alive for 72 years. I'm the youngest in the family. Emmett is two years younger than me, in vampire years. We were actually born in the same year but he was changed later and is physically 20."

"Do you always ramble?" Bella asked.

My jaw dropped. I could hear Alice and Carlisle laughing. "I normally don't talk much. Now I remember why." I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew I was pouting. I didn't care.

Bella tilted her head up. "They can hear us," she realized.

"Yes," I confirmed. "All of the bedrooms have multiple layers of soundproofing. After years of begging Esme caved. The rest of the house isn't so lucky. How are you feeling?"

I studied Bella. She looked fine, physically at least. I wished Jasper was here to help with the emotional side of things. I had no idea how she was handling all this information. I was right when I guessed that she suspected what we were. But hearing stories about the Cold Ones, and reading about it, was nothing compared to reality.

"I'm fine," she responded. I got the feeling I was going to hate those two words.

I heard Esme come home through the back door. It was her way of giving us some privacy and not wanting to spook Bella. Being around one vampire was hard for humans. Being around more than that was even more challenging.

"I made cookies, can I bring some to Bella?" Esme asked me. I wonder if Alice filled in her on what happened.

"Yes," I told her. Esme was dying to spend time with Bella. Jasper had informed me of that when Alice made it clear that Bella would become a part of our family. "Esme's back. She wants to bring you some cookies. Are you okay with that?"

"Okay," Bella agreed. Esme came out of the kitchen with a plate full of cookies and a glass of milk.

"Hello Bella dear," Esme greeted. She placed the plate and glass on the coffee table.

Bella frowned at the cookies. "You said you made them for the hospital patients," she muttered.

I wasn't sure if she meant to be heard. "I made extra," Esme said with a shrug. "I've been practicing baking and I've gotten pretty good, considering we don't eat."

I thought Bella's jaw was going to hit the floor. "You don't eat," she repeated, grabbing a cookie. Again she looked at me to answer her questions. Whether it was because she knew I would be truthful or something else I wasn't sure. But I needed to find out.

"No, we don't," Esme confirmed. "She doesn't know?" That question was directed only to me.

"She knows some. I haven't gotten around to telling her about everything," I informed her. "Our lack of eating hadn't come up yet."

Esme looked guilty. "Sorry Rose."

I turned my attention back to Bella. "We can eat human food," I continued. "It takes a long time to work its way through our body and doesn't do anything for us so we try to avoid it."

Bella looked at Esme this time. "Why do you bake if you don't eat?" she asked curious.

"I like doing things for Carlisle's patients," Esme answered. "Besides it gives me something to do other than watch my children destroy my house." She glared at me.

Bella stared at me curious. "Later," I promised. The last thing I wanted to do was relive that particular memory right now.

"These are good," Bella said waving the half-eaten cookie.

"You sound surprised," Esme said raising an eyebrow at Bella.

"I… I mean you don't eat so you… you wouldn't be able to test them," Bella chocked out.

Esme laughed, putting Bella out of her misery. "Sorry Bella. I was kidding. It took some practice but I've gotten better. Are you hungry dear? I can make you some dinner."

"Sure," Bella agreed.

"What would you like?" Esme questioned.

"Surprise me," Bella said. It was obvious Bella didn't know what Esme was able to cook and didn't want to request something that she couldn't make.

Esme headed to the kitchen leaving me alone with Bella. Alice and Carlisle were doing their best not to eavesdrop and were failing. "Come on," I said, pulling Bella off the couch.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

She followed up the stairs and to my room. She was… strange. I expected some resistance about being alone with me, alone with a vampire, but I felt none. I didn't need Edward or Jasper's gifts to know Bella wasn't afraid of me. Whether it was the mate bond or something else I didn't know.

"My room," I answered her. "Figured we could use the privacy while you asked your questions."

I shut the door behind me and gestured for her to sit down. There wasn't anywhere to sit, other than my bed. She sat at the edge of the bed and I stood by the window. I wanted it to be clear to her if she felt the need to escape I wasn't going to stop her.

"Ask whatever you want," I told her.

"Would you hurt me?" she asked. She must have been thinking about what happened with Edward.

"No," I answered honestly. "I am incapable of hurting you."

"Why?"

Damn. I should have seen that coming. I didn't know what to tell her. I couldn't tell her the truth, not yet at least. She needed to understand vampires more before I told her about mating. "I can't tell you that, not yet," I said.

"I thought you were going to be honest," Bella commented.

She had guts. "I am being honest," I promised. "I will tell you, just not right now."

She let it go but I knew it wouldn't last. She was stubborn and when she set her mind to something she didn't stop. "You don't eat, what about sleeping?"

I shook my head. "We don't sleep," I answered promptly.

Bella stared at the bed she was sitting on. "Why do you have a bed?"

"I like to be comfortable," I said with a shrug. "Besides we have to keep up appearances. It would be strange if the rooms didn't have beds in it."

"Good point," she said. She looked at her hands. I could smell the blood from the wounds.

"Go on, ask the question I know you've been dying to ask," I urged. I know she wanted to know about Edward. If I was in her position I would want to know. But for whatever reason she wasn't asking.

She stared at me for a minute. "What happened with Edward?" she asked finally. "Why would he try to kill me? That's what he was going to do right? How did you know I was going to be there? How did he?"

Okay, I should have known she would have questions, as in plural. I'm an idiot. "Alright. First, yes Edward was going to kill you but I don't believe that was his intention. I think he went there to try and protect you. From what I don't know. But then you were attacked by that filth." My lip curled and if I didn't scare Bella now I never would. I glanced at her but she looked unaffected by my anger. "Vampires struggle with human blood. Carlisle has the best control, followed by Edward and myself."

"If he has so much control then how…" she trailed off.

"You're his singer. It means your blood sings to him," I tried to explain. "Think of it this way, imagine your favorite food is in front of you. Hard to resist right?" Bella nodded. "Now multiple that by a hundred, and it's not food, it's blood."

"How did he resist the other times?" she asked.

"I can't say for sure," I said honestly. In my opinion Edward thought Bella was his mate. Obviously that wasn't true but I wasn't going to bring that up. It would open a can of worms I wasn't ready for. "I believe part of it was that he wasn't exposed to the fresh blood. I also think he was drawn to you due to you being his singer, and the fact that he can't read your mind."

"What?" Bella exclaimed. "He can read minds."

Fuck. I forgot she didn't know about that. "He can read everyone's mind expect yours," I quickly explained, hoping it would calm her down some. It worked.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered.

I snorted. "You just found out we are all vampires and my brother can read minds and you think something is wrong with you?" I asked in disbelief. She truly was a strange human.

"Yes?" She didn't seem sure.

"We can talk about that later," I said. There was much more important things to talk about then Edward not being able to read her mind. "You had more questions, like why was I there, right?" Bella nodded again. "Simple. Alice told me. Alice also has a gift, she can see the future. It's highly subjective. One decision can change the entire future. She saw you in danger and sent me."

"Were you going to fight him?" she questioned.

"I was," I answered honestly. "Unfortunately, it would not have gone well for either of us." Bella looked confused. "With Edward's ability to read minds he is difficult to beat in a fight."

"But Emmett and Jasper…"

"Like I said before Jasper has experience with vampires," I reminded her. "I can't tell you why. That's his story to tell but I can promise you that he is fine. Emmett is the strongest of all of us. He can easily overpower Edward."

I cocked my head to the side. Speak of the devil and he, or in this case they, shall appear.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Emmett and Jasper are back," I replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Bella POV

My brain was still trying to process everything Rosalie had said. She was a vampire. All of the Cullens were vampires. It was surreal.

I still had so many questions about vampires, about how Edward had acted and more importantly how Rosalie was acting. All of that had to be pushed aside for the time being. Right now I had to focus on some of my other questions, like whether or not Emmett and Jasper were okay. Rosalie didn't seem at all worried about their safety. But I was, because if they got hurt it was my fault. They came to help protect me.

"Do you want to go see them?" Rosalie asked. I had almost forgot she was in the room even if it was her room.

"I… yes." Honestly, I didn't know if I did want to see them. A part of me was scared of them. The other part was scared for them.

Rosalie put her hand on my arm, sending shivers down my spine. I had no idea what that was about. I filed it away as another question I needed answered. "They're fine Bella. I promise."

She led me downstairs, back to the living room. The entire Cullen family was gathered in the living room, except for Edward. I wasn't sure if he was here or not and I wasn't eager to find out. "He's not here," Rosalie whispered in my ear. "Emmett and Jasper will explain."

We sat on the love seat furthest from the others.

I looked at the two guys. They looked perfectly fine, dirty but fine. Both of their eyes were almost black. Emmett was smiling at me. Jasper looked like he was in pain but he didn't seem angry at me for putting him in danger.

Alice, on the other hand, looked furious. I flinched into Rosalie's side. Jasper looked at me and cocked his head to the side. "Alice, darling," he said with the strange Southern accent that didn't fit in with the rest of the family. "Your anger at the state of our clothes is upsetting Bella. She thinks you are angry at her."

Rosalie's body seemed to vibrate beside me. I glanced at Alice and her face instantly softened. "Sorry Bella," she said. "I'm not angry at you. I just… I hate when pretty good clothes get ruined."

Esme sighed from her spot beside Carlisle. I guess this was normal. "Emmett, Jasper," Rosalie called. "Are you guys okay?"

I know she only asked for my benefit but I still appreciated it. "We are fine Bella," Emmett tried to assure me. He rolled up his sleeves. "See, no marks."

Jasper smacked the back of his head. I flinched. It was loud, like a baseball being hit next to my ear. "Even if you did get hurt she wouldn't be able to see it." Jasper turned his attention to me. "We are fine Bella. I promise."

Something about Jasper made me trust his words. It was like I knew he was telling the truth. "Jasper," Rosalie warned.

"Sorry," Jasper said with a chuckle. I looked between Jasper and Rosalie, confused by what just happened.

"What was that?" I asked looking back and forth between Jasper and Rosalie.

"My gift Bella," Jasper answered. "I can feel, and control, emotions. I wanted you to trust that we were okay so I gave you a little boost."

Emmett pulled something from his pocket and tossed it at me. I fully expected whatever it was to hit me, that was my luck after all, but I never felt it. I looked at Rosalie and she was dangling my keys from her index finger.

"Emmett, can you not throw things at the human in the room?" Rosalie growled.

"Sorry Bella," Emmett said sheepishly. "I wasn't trying to hurt you." I smiled at him. I never thought he would hurt me.

"Jasper," Carlisle said getting everyone's attention. "Why don't you explain what happened with Edward?"

"Of course, Carlisle," Jasper started. "As you all know Alice sent me when she saw Bella and Rosalie dying." I gasped. "Emmett followed me when he found out. When I got there Edward was getting ready to attack. He had already killed six humans and was working on the seventh." Esme sobbed beside Carlisle but I didn't see any tears. "He would have killed Bella. His emotions were… conflicted. The call of her blood was too strong. I could tell he didn't want to hurt her, not really, but he lost all control. I got him into the woods. Unfortunately, he hadn't snapped out of his bloodlust."

"Is he dead?" Esme asked. It was as if she was afraid to know the answer.

Emmett shook his head. "He's alive," he confirmed.

Jasper nodded. "He lost an arm, which we helped reattach." I stared at him in shock and horror. "Don't worry Bella. We can lose limbs. It's never permanent unless the limb is burned. He snapped out of the bloodlust. I believe it was the pain that got him. He is aware of what he has done and he feels terrible."

"Where is Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"I told him to go to Denali," Jasper answered. "He needs to stay away from humans for a while. It will give him time to think and Tanya and the others can keep an eye on him. It will keep him from doing anything stupid. Edward knows he can't come home, not with Bella here. He can't go to school either with his eyes."

Carlisle nodded. "I agree Denali is the best place for him. Alice?"

Alice closed her eyes. "He will be fine in Denali," she said once she opened her eyes. "He will be gone for about a week. I can't see exactly how long he will be gone. He's too undecided."

"Before he comes back there will need to be a conversation with him," Jasper said. "We can't have him here around Bella unless we know she will be safe."

"I agree with Jasper," Rosalie said immediately. "I will not have him putting Bella in danger." Was it weird how concerned for my safety she was?

I looked around the room. No one else seemed surprised by her declaration. Based on their reactions this was completely normal. Then again maybe it was normal.

"Food's ready," Esme said standing up.

"Vampire hearing," Rosalie whispered in my ear. "Esme could hear a timer."

Was I really that predictable? Maybe I was. I take that back. I was most definitely that predictable when it came to vampires.

"Is there anything you can't do?" I whispered back.

Emmett snorted and I blushed. "I'm sure there's plenty Rose can't do. Like that thing—"

Rosalie threw a pillow in Emmett's face. "You are an idiot," Jasper said shaking his head at Emmett. He turned his attention to Alice. "We should hunt."

Alice nodded in agreement. She turned to me. "Jasper and I will be back in the morning. If you have any questions Bella, ask Rosalie. She won't lie to you, even if she doesn't tell you everything right away. There are some things… some things you're not ready to know."

With those words Alice and Jasper were gone. "I'm sorry Dr... Carlisle," I corrected. Emmett snickered. "I didn't mean to run your family out of your home."

"Nonsense Bella," Carlisle said. "You didn't run anyone out of here."

"But Alice and Jasper and Edward…" I trailed off. I felt so guilty.

"They went to hunt," Carlisle said gently. "We will all come and go at times for hunting especially since your blood was in the house. It's not your fault," he added when I started to protest. "As for Edward, that wasn't your fault either. His actions were his own and while I understand how difficult it is to resist your singer," he nodded toward Emmett who bowed his head in shame, "I don't condone his actions."

"Bella, you didn't make Edward kill six humans," Rosalie told me. "Not that the humans didn't deserve it."

"Rosalie," Carlisle warned.

"No Carlisle," Rosalie hissed. "I don't need Edward's gift to know what they were thinking, what they would have done. They deserved to die. I would have killed them myself if Edward hadn't done it. The only difference is he shouldn't have fed on them."

I shuddered at the thought of Rosalie killing someone, even if it was in my defense. I didn't want to think of any of them killing for me.

"What happened to the bodies?" Carlisle questioned.

"We took them to the woods and burned them," Emmett replied. "It was the only thing we could think of. Edward took the wallets. He said he plans on donating money to each of the families. He knows it won't make up for what he'd done but it would help."

Carlisle nodded in approval. "I'm never happy at the loss of human life but I appreciate all of your efforts to make it right."

Esme came out of the kitchen with a plate overflowing with food. She had made chicken parmesan with garlic bread and a Caesar salad. It looked amazing and smelled even better.

"Oh my god," I moaned when I took my first bite. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted." Esme's face lit up.

"That's what she said," Emmett said with a smirk. He was looking at Rosalie as he said it. Rosalie looked ready to kill him.

"So, what happens now?" I asked after I finished eating.

"You stay here and I answer any other question you have," Rosalie replied.

"But you don't answer my questions," I grumbled.

Rosalie sighed. "I know. Finding out about vampires is a lot to take in. I don't want to pile more on you." I watched her look at Carlisle.

"Rosalie is right," Carlisle inputted. "No one is intentionally hiding things from you. Vampires are… complicated creatures. The last thing any of us want to do is overwhelm you."

I didn't like it but I let it go. As much as I hated that they were keeping things from me, I did appreciate them thinking about my wellbeing.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Rosalie asked.

"Okay." Anything was better than having vampires stare at me. "Is it safe to walk this late at night?" I asked.

Rosalie laughed. "Nothing will hurt you while I'm around."

"That's not what I'm worried about," I muttered, thinking about my ability to trip over air.

"I'll even protect you from yourself," she promised.

We walked to a bench at the edge of the backyard. It was dark and I couldn't see much but Rosalie apparently could see perfectly fine. "Why are all of your eyes gold?" I asked. "And now Edward's are red and they were black too."

"We feed on animals," Rosalie began. "That's what the gold comes from. We live off the blood of animals."

"What happens to the animals?" I questioned.

Rosalie looked confused by the question but answered it anyway. "We usually leave the bodies."

"That's such a waste," I said with a frown. Rosalie was still confused. I leaned back. "I don't know. I was just remembering a project I did when I lived in Phoenix, about the number of homeless people and how many families can't afford to feed themselves. It's a waste that you guys kill these animals and leave them there when you could take them to a butcher and donate the meat."

Rosalie looked thoughtful. "We never considered that," she admitted. "We would have to do something to cover the bite marks..." she trailed off and sighed. "I take that back. Emmett wants to try butchering the animals himself."

I didn't want to think about that. I imagine Emmett would have way too much fun. "So red and black eyes?" I asked, going back to my original questions.

"Red eyes come from drinking human blood," Rosalie explained. "Also, vampires, in their first several months of existence, have red eyes as they feed on their on human blood. It fades to gold after a few months of animal blood. Black eyes… black eyes can mean many things: hunger, anger, lust."

"Your eyes were black when you found me," I pointed out.

"Anger," she explained. "I was angry at the humans, angry at Edward and angry at the whole situation."

I touched her face, just below her left eye. "Your eyes are still black."

Rosalie grabbed my hand and held it again her face. "It will fade," she told me. "I'll hunt after you go to sleep."

I leaned against her. It was cold outside. I realized her body was equally cold and didn't offer any warmth. It was, however, comfortable. More comfortable than I thought possible considering her was also as hard as a rock.

"Why is your body so cold?" I asked curious.

I felt Rosalie shrug against me. "Honestly, I don't know. It's just how it is. Our skin is hard, like diamonds, nothing can penetrate it. Remind me to show you what we look like in the sun."

"So, stakes don't work?" I half-joked.

"Nope, stakes, holy water, garlic, crosses, even sunlight, none of it hurts us," she said.

"If none of that affects you then how do you die?" I asked. All vampires had a weakness. I learned that from the many movie marathons with Renee.

"Trying to kill me Bella?" Rosalie laughed.

My face turned red. "I… I didn't… I mean…"

"Breathe Bella," Rosalie commanded. "I didn't think you were going to kill me, or any of us." I relaxed slightly. "And to answer your question, fire. We can lose limbs and have them reattached but if you burn them, they are gone. Same gone with the rest of us. We typically prefer to decapitate them and then burn them."

I shuddered at the thought. "Have you done it before?" I wasn't sure if I wanted the answer.

"Twice," Rosalie admitted. "Once was a vampire from Jasper's past. Another was a vampire drawing too much attention to himself. If we didn't end him, he would have exposed us."

"Have you killed any humans?" I questioned.

"I have," she confirmed. "When I first turned." It was chilling hearing that the vampire I was leaning against had killed humans. It didn't scare me, a part of me thought it should.

"Why?" I asked when I realized she wasn't going to say anything.

"It's not a great story Bella," Rosalie began. "I will tell you, just not tonight."

I crossed my arms over my chest. That was her go to response for everything. It was like she didn't think I would happen anything. "Fine," I said. Nothing I said would change her mind. I had already tried.

"I should get you inside," Rosalie said as I shivered against her.

She lifted me into her arms, like she had done in Port Angeles, and carried me back to the house.


	7. Chapter 7

Rosalie POV

"How is she?" Esme asked when I came back downstairs.

"Frustrated," I answered. "She knows I'm keeping things from her."

"So tell her the truth, like you promised," Alice said walking into the living room with Jasper right beside her. He looked a lot more comfortable now that he had hunted.

"Everything?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her. My past wasn't easy for anyone to hear. For the most part I was over what happened, but that didn't mean I wanted to relive it, or to see the look on Bella's face when I told her.

"As long as you explain vampire mating ahead of time, she will be fine with it," Alice assured me. "As for that," she gave me a pointed look, "I can't tell since you keep changing your mind."

I ran my hand through my hair. This was a lot harder than I thought. "I'm scared," I admitted.

Alice sat down beside me. The others went about their business, doing their best to ignore Alice and I. "Everything will go fine."

I shook my head. "That's not the problem Alice. The end result may be fine but what about before that. What if she doesn't react well?"

"You won't ever know if you don't try," Alice pointed out. "She took us being vampires well. Hell, she even took Edward trying to kill her well. Why wouldn't she accept this?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think you need to explain yours and Emmett's relationship first," Jasper inputted. "Earlier when Emmett was making his inappropriate comments." Emmett grinned and I threw a pillow at him. "She was jealous of Emmett, of your relationship. I highly doubt she knows that's what she was feeling."

I was surprised and pleased by that. There was hope that Bella would accept this. "I'll talk to her in the morning," I promised.

Jasper shook his head. "I think Emmett should talk to her," he said with a nod toward Emmett.

"Why me?" Emmett asked confused.

"Earlier with your joke, Bella was jealous," Jasper explained.

"Jealous," I repeated. "Jealous of what?"

Jasper rubbed his forehead. "He thinks you two are together," Jasper told us. "With how you and Emmett usually act in front of the humans it's not surprising. I believe she's more likely to believe it if it comes from Emmett first."

Emmett and Jasper went back to their game, leaving me to think about what Jasper had said. After a while my thoughts drifted elsewhere, namely to my brother. "I don't know how I feel about Edward coming back in a week," I told Alice. In truth the thought of Edward coming back at all terrified me. One wrong move and Bella would be dead and I can't handle that.

"Rose," Alice said touching my arm. "I would never let Edward come back if it meant Bella was in danger. I'm watching his and Bella's futures. Jasper and I will take a trip to Denali before he comes back and make sure his emotions are pure. Bella will never be alone with him, ever. Rose, we have this covered."

Jasper looked up from his game and studied me. "If it helps, I can call Peter and Charlotte before he comes back," he offered.

I shook my head. "Not yet." As much as I loved Peter and Charlotte having two more human drinkers around wasn't a good idea. Plus, I didn't think Bella was ready for it.

"They won't hurt her, you know that," Jasper said. Stupid empath. He smirked at my frustration with him.

"I know they won't hurt her," I said. "But her experience with red eyed vampires isn't great."

Jasper nodded. "If you change your mind, let me know."

"Oh no," Alice moaned. "Rose, room."

Just as she said that we heard a blood curdling scream. Only one thing came to mind.

Bella.

When I got to my room I half-expected Edward, or someone, to be in the room. It was just Bella, tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Nightmare," Jasper choked out. I glanced at him. Her emotions must have been too much because his eyes were darkening by the second, despite the fact that he just hunted.

"Go Jazz," I told him, pushing him away.

I ran over to the bed where Bella was thrashing about. "Bella," I called softly. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her, especially when she was already scared.

"You're going to have to touch her," Alice said from downstairs. "She will calm down at your touch."

I took Alice's advice. I wrapped my arms around Bella and maneuvered myself onto the bed. Her reaction was instant. Her body relaxed in my arms. Her heartrate slowed and I could hear her breathing in my scent. It was instinct for her, like it was for me.

"Bella," I called again.

"Rosalie," she mumbled sleepily. "What's going on? Where…?" she trailed off once the memory of yesterday came rushing back.

"You're okay Bella," I said softly. "Just breathe."

Bella looked at our positions and blushed. She tried to pull away but I tightened my grip on her. "You weren't here when I went to sleep."

I laughed. She didn't sound so sure of herself. "No, I wasn't. You were having a nightmare. Alice said physical touch would calm you so here I am." I released her and allowed her to scoot away from me. She didn't move far. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bella shrugged. "It was nothing. Just a nightmare."

"Bella," I started.

"I saw Edward," Bella interrupted. "He killed you and he was coming for me. I just… I don't know why I'm feeling like this. Why am I so comfortable when you hold me? Why do I feel so… devastated at the thought of you dying? I mean I barely even know you. Please, no more trying to make things easier for me. Just tell me."

"Tell her," Alice told me. "I promise, even if it doesn't seem like it, she will handle it well."

I sighed. I trusted Alice but I was still scared. Rejection never happened for vampire mates. But Bella was human. It wasn't the same for her. Then again maybe it was. It sounded like she was already feeling the pull.

"Alright," I agreed. She looked surprised. "Before I answer your questions, I have to explain something first."

Bella frowned. She probably assumed I wasn't going to tell her after all. "Vampires have soul mates, one person you are meant to be with for the rest of your life. When a vampire mates it's forever. A vampire will do anything for their mate. They will kill to protect them and if one dies the other will follow them in death. Alice and Jasper. Carlisle and Esme. Both are mated pairs."

"You and Emmett," Bella said confused.

I shook my head. So much for Emmett explaining this. Perhaps he could talk to her in the morning. "Emmett and I were never mated. We thought we were, in the beginning. Em?" I called to him.

"Go ahead Rose," he said. He was giving me permission to tell Bella about his change.

"When I met Emmett," I continued. Bella was oblivious to the short conversation I had with Emmett. "He had been mauled by a bear and close to death. I carried him to Carlisle and begged Carlisle to change him. There was something about him. I don't know what it was. Like you I assumed we were mated. Why would I save someone if I wasn't meant to be with them?"

"If only," Emmett sighed. I felt bad for him. He loved me and as much as I cared about him it wasn't love. At least not love in the way he wanted. Over the decades Emmett's love evolved to a sibling love but I know he did think of how things would be different if we were mated.

"Why did you save him then?" Bella asked curious.

"I honestly don't know," I replied. "It's the one thing I've never been able to figure out. My only guess is that maybe a part of me knew we would be close."

"How did you figure out you weren't actually meant to be together?" Bella asked next.

If I were human, I would be blushing. While the others were open about their sex life. I wasn't. Not that I had much of a sex life. "Emmett and I… not long after he changed… we tried to have sex," I started. I needed to get a grip. This should not be so hard to do. "I threw him through a wall. We tried a couple times after that and the same thing happened."

"So, you two…" Bella couldn't finish her sentence. She was blushing.

"Never," I assured her.

"Why are you telling me about this?" Bella asked. "I mean it's interesting… but I don't understand."

"All it takes is a single look to find our mates," I continued, ignoring her question. Bella was still confused.

"For Gods sake Rosalie, just say it, or I will," Alice groaned.

"Bella, when I rescued you last night, it was the first time I had actually looked at you." Why was this so hard to say? "Bella, you're my mate," I choked out.

I could hear the cheering downstairs and I rolled my eyes. They were all idiots. All I did is confess to Bella that we were mated. It wasn't like I proposed or anything.

"Let us be happy for you Rosalie," Jasper said.

I stared at Bella, waiting for her to say something, anything. "Give her a minute," Alice told me. "She's processing." Sometimes I wonder if Alice was the mind reader in the family.

I sat there and waited. It took two minutes and forty-seven seconds for her to say anything. "Mates," she repeated. "I don't… what does that mean, for us… for me?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean," I told her. Whatever she wanted from me, whether it was romance or friendship, I would give it to her. "There's no pressure for you."

"I… I don't know what I want," Bella confessed.

"I understand," I said squeezing her hand. "There is no pressure. I will wait, however long it takes." Bella yawned. "Do you want me to leave?"

Bella shook her head and leaned against me. "Can you stay for a little bit?" she asked.

I stayed with Bella, even after she was asleep. I didn't want to risk her having another nightmare. I didn't realize exactly how long I had stayed with Bella until Alice knocked on the door. "Rose," Alice called softly.

"Alice," I said waving her inside.

"You don't have to stay here Rose. She won't wake up," Alice informed me.

I shrugged. "I'm comfortable." Alice climbed on the bed, on my other side. She leaned against me. It had been a long time since Alice and I had hung out like this. Usually it was Esme where Bella is now. "She's knows and she still wants me here with her."

"She may not understand it but she seeks comfort from you," Alice explained. "It's part of the bond. In the beginning, with Jasper, he was so used to vampires trying to hurt him. He couldn't understand the closeness. Even with his gift. It took time and patience."

"She's human. I don't have time," I pointed out.

Alice rolled her eyes. "She's going to turn," Alice said. I opened my mouth to protest. I was not going to take away Bella's chance to have a family. I refuse. "Don't say it. She's your mate Rose. If she decides she wants to change, and she will, then you need to let her do it."

"I will not take away her chance to grow old and have children," I said firmly.

"Even if that's what she wants?" Alice countered.

I growled at her. None of us had a choice if we wanted to be vampires. For everyone, except Alice and Jasper, it was a choice Carlisle made for us. That didn't include Emmett as I made that choice for him. Emmett didn't count. He was made to be a vampire. The only regret he had was not being able to say goodbye to his parents.

"No one wants this existence Alice," I told her. It was true. No vampire I met had ever wanted to be a vampire. But none of them had the guts to end their existence.

"Just because we didn't want this life doesn't mean others wouldn't," Alice informed me. "Being a vampire isn't as bad as you think it is."

It didn't matter what Alice said. I would never believe that Bella could want this life. "It doesn't matter."

"It doesn't," Alice agreed. "Even with your decision not to change her, her future remains the same. She will be a vampire. The only thing I can't see is who turns her," she added in a whisper.

That was new. If she could see that Bella does turn why couldn't she see who did it? "How is that possible?" I questioned.

Alice shrugged. "I think it's changing too fast for me to see," Alice answered. "Which means whoever changes her is well, changing. For whatever reason her future is changing."

"I don't like that," I said.

"Me either Rose," Alice whispered. "Me either."


	8. Chapter 8

Bella POV

The first thing I noticed was I was far more comfortable than I should be. This was not my bed. My bed, while comfortable, was not this soft, or big. I shifted my position. The bed may have been soft but there was something hard on my left. It was like I was pressed up against the wall.

"Bella." I recognized that voice. Rosalie.

Then it hit me. Everything that had happened the night before. Port Angeles. Edward trying to kill me and Rosalie saving me. Rosalie's confession…

I was her mate. Even though she explained it I still didn't understand what it meant for me. She said it was up to me. I wasn't sure I liked that. Would she suffer if I turned her down? I didn't want her to suffer especially not because of me. At the same time, I wasn't sure if I loved her, or if I could love her. I take that back. I could love her. I'm sure I could.

"Bella," Rosalie said again. "I know you're awake."

I opened my eyes. Rosalie was lying beside me. "What time is it?" I asked.

"5:30am," Rosalie responded. Crap. I was going to be late. "You're not going to be late." I stared at Rosalie. "Alice saw you worrying about being late to school."

I sat up. "I can't tell if Alice's gift is useful or just plain frustrating," I grumbled.

Rosalie laughed. "We all feel the same. Alice grabbed some clothes for you. They're in the bathroom if you want to shower." She pointed out the shower. "There's a towel and washcloth on the counter."

I took longer in the shower than I intended. It was the nicest shower I had ever seen. It had glass walls and multiple shower heads on the top and side of the shower. It was expensive. Probably more expensive than Charlies' house but I didn't want to think about that.

Instead I enjoyed the feel of the hot water. The hot water massaged my skin. I never spent much time in the shower. Just long enough to get clean. But now… now I didn't want to get out.

By the time I did get out of the shower Rosalie's bedroom was empty. The clock in the room said it was 6am. I was in the shower for thirty minutes. I'm surprised Rosalie didn't come and check on me. Maybe Alice told her I was fine.

"Good morning Bella," Esme greeted when I got downstairs.

"Morning," I said. I could smell food.

"Sit, I made breakfast for you," Esme said leading me to the kitchen table. She gently pushed me into the chair.

"Where are the others?" I asked. I was surprised I wasn't bombarded with vampires staring at me while I ate.

"Carlisle got called into work, Rose and Emmett are hunting, and Alice and Jasper, I'm not entirely sure what they are doing," Esme answered. I don't think I want to know what they are doing. "I figured you could use some peace while you ate so I sent them away. Rosalie was reluctant but Emmett convinced her to hunt. She will be back before you have to go to school."

Esme sat the plate of food in front of me. She grabbed herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table with me. "Can you drink coffee?" I asked curious. I knew they didn't eat. But could they drink?

"I can," Esme confirmed. "It doesn't taste great. I like to use the coffee to warm up my hands, so I'm not as cold to humans."

I nodded in understanding and dug into my food. "This is amazing," I told Esme. I was a little jealous that a vampire could cook so well. She couldn't even taste the food she was making yet it was perfect every time.

"Thank you dear," Esme said with a smile.

"You know, don't you?" There was no way she didn't know.

"I do," Esme confirmed. "You know I wasn't much younger than you when I first met Carlisle. I was human and fell out of a tree and broke my leg. I was drawn to Carlisle, even then. It wasn't until I was turned that I really understood what those feelings were. Being involved with a vampire when you are human isn't easy."

"I don't want to hurt her," I said softly.

Esme grabbed my hand. "Bella, I appreciate your concern for Rosalie but you need to focus on what's best for you. Rosalie will understand and support any choice you make."

"What happens if a vampire gets rejected by their mate?" I asked curious. I got the feeling I didn't want to know the answer.

Esme frowned. "Honestly, I don't know. It's never happened before. When a vampire mates with a vampire they both feel the pull. As far as I know a vampire has never mated to a human." That didn't answer my question. Esme sighed. "I can't say for sure but I imagine it wouldn't go well for the vampire."

"Would it kill her?" I dropped my fork. I wasn't hungry anymore.

"I don't know Bella," Esme said. I looked up. "I think it might be possible. Carlisle will look into it. As long as you don't outright reject her, she should be fine."

Now I was worried. Didn't I already reject her by telling her I didn't know if I wanted to be with her? Did that count? Was she dead somewhere in the woods and no one knew about it?

"Bella, I can feel your worry from outside," Jasper said walking into the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. I couldn't say it. How do I tell him that I was selfish and because of that his sister may be dead?

"Bella," Rosalie said walking into the kitchen.

I stood up, with the intention of hugging her. I was so relieved she was okay. It didn't make it over to her. My legs gave out. I was in Rosalie's arms before I realized what was going on.

"I'm okay Bella," she whispered in my ear. "I'm okay." I could feel her holding me but for some reason I wasn't calming down. All I could think about was the fact that she was going to die and it would be my fault. "Jazz."

It was almost instant. The panic and fear I was feeling was suddenly replaced with calm. I was starting to relax in Rosalie's arms.

I pulled away from Rosalie. "What was that?"

"Me," Jasper answered. I had forgotten about his gift. "Your heart was beating too fast. So, I used my gift to calm you."

I looked at Esme. "How did they know?"

"Alice," Rosalie answered. "She saw the conversation between you and Esme and your breakdown afterwards. Do you want to talk about it?"

Rosalie gently set me back in the chair. "No, I'm fine," I lied, pushing the eggs across my plate.

"Bella, I can feel what you're feeling and I know you're lying," Jasper said softly. He turned to his family. "Can you guys give me and Bella a minute alone?"

Rosalie kissed my forehead and walked out of the room. Esme hesitated. "Eat up Bella," Esme urged before following Rosalie out of the kitchen.

"Esme's right. You should eat," Jasper encouraged. I slowly started eating again. "I could fear your fear and panic, just before I got here. Do you want to talk about it?" I didn't say anything.

"Esme and I were talking," I began. "I don't know how I feel about Rosalie and that scares me. I don't want her to die but she was unlucky enough to be mated with a human."

"Bella, Rosalie is fine," Jasper promised. "She does not expect you to love her now. Honestly, I don't think she expects you to ever love her. If she can be a part of your life, in any way, then she will be happy."

I shook my head. "That's not fair to her," I said stabbing a piece of watermelon.

"I don't think the universe has been cared about what's fair," Jasper pointed out. "But this isn't fair to you either. You do have a choice in all of this, even if it doesn't seem like it."

"My choice can kill someone," I reminded him.

"Our choices can kill someone too," Jasper said. "Are you really going to go through your entire life afraid to do anything? I know Rosalie doesn't want that for you."

"What do you suggest I do?" I asked him. I hated being told what to do but, in this moment, I wanted someone, anyone to tell me what to do.

"I can't tell you that," Jasper said sadly. "You need to figure out what you want on your own. But I will tell you this… focus on the present." I frowned. "You're so focused on what the future holds. You should be focusing on right now. Forget about the mating bond if needed. Get to know Rosalie."

"Jazz, sorry to interrupt but we need to get going or we are going to be late to school," Alice said coming into the kitchen. "You okay Bella?"

"I'm fine," I said automatically. Jasper raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing. "How are you explaining Edward's disappearance?"

"Esme called and said he has the flu," Alice answered. "It will work for the rest of the week. After that we will need a new excuse. Rosalie and Emmett already left. Rose wanted to give you some space. You'll be riding with me and Jazz."

Esme returned to the kitchen. She handed me twenty dollars. "For lunch," she said when I stared at the offered money. "I know Charlie usually pays but since you were here…"

I opened my mouth to tell her twenty dollars was far too much. Alice shook her head before I could say anything. "Don't try and argue. You won't succeed. Are you ready?"

"I am. I just need to clean up." I went for the plate so I could clean up before we left. When I looked down it was already gone and Esme was putting it back into the cabinet. "I guess I'm ready."

"Wait until you see my car," Alice said with a grin.

Alice's car turned out to be a bright red Ferrari. Jasper held the passenger door open for me and then jumped into the back seat.

"Do you all have cars?" I wondered.

"Not all of us," Jasper answered. "Esme and I don't have a car but I'm thinking about getting a truck. I'm trying to convince Rosalie to restore one for me but haven't had much luck. If you want to put in a good word for me Bella, I would be grateful." He winked at me.

"Rosalie would do anything you asked if it made you happy," Alice explained.

It was hard to believe that there was someone would do anything for me. It was strange and kind of nice. It made me wonder exactly what she would do for me.

Alice pulled into the parking lot. Rosalie and Emmett were already there, leaning against Emmett's jeep, talking about something. Their eyes snapped up when Alice pulled into the parking spot.

Everyone stared at me as I climbed out of Alice's car. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could imagine the gossip, especially since the Cullens rarely interacted with humans.

Rosalie and Emmett walked over to us. Emmett threw his arm around my shoulder. Rosalie glared at him and I swear I could hear her growling. "Emmett, you're an idiot," Jasper said from behind us.

Rosalie looked ready to rip his arm off. "Aww, Rosie, don't be mad," Emmett said.

"Idiot," Alice echoed. "You're lucky we're at school or Rosalie would rip your arm off."

I pulled away from Emmett. It seemed like a safe choice. I couldn't imagine what would happen to the humans nearby if Rosalie got angry enough.

Jasper grabbed my arm this time and led me to my locker. "You're overthinking again," he whispered in my ear. "No matter how angry Rosalie is she would never put us, and more importantly you, in danger."

I glanced back to where Rosalie was standing with Alice and Emmett. "Why isn't she glaring at you?"

Jasper let go of my arm so I could open my locker. "I'm already mated. I'm not a threat to her relationship with you. Plus, she knows I'm the only one who can calm you down." He winked at me.

I should have known spending so much time with the Cullens was going to catch up to me. I managed to avoid Jessica and Lauren for most of the morning. By fourth period I couldn't avoid them any longer.

"Bella," Jessica greeted.

"Jessica, Lauren," I said with a sigh.

"We heard you came to school with the Cullens," Lauren began. "And I saw you getting close to Jasper Hale earlier. Weren't you into Edward Cullen? Or are you making the rounds to all the Cullen boys? What's next, after the Cullens?"

"I don't know what they see in you," Jessica said looking me up and down.

"I guess it's a good thing you don't control their actions then," I retorted. The bell rang. I grabbed my stuff and stormed out of the classroom.

"Bella," Emmett called jogging over to me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the cafeteria. "We need your help. Rosalie is about to rip Jessica and Lauren apart."

I let Emmett drag me to an empty classroom. Rosalie was struggling in Jasper's arms. "Bella, a little help," Alice said. She was standing in front of Rosalie, trying to reason with her but nothing was working.

"She won't hurt you," Emmett told me. "She's incapable of hurting you."

"What happened?" I asked walking toward the angry vampire.

"She overheard your conversation with Lauren and Jessica," Alice responded. "If we don't calm her down, she will kill them. I've seen it."

"What do I do?" I was standing in front of Rosalie yet she didn't seem aware of my presence.

"Touch her," Alice answered. "No matter how angry she is, or how scary she seems, she will calm down under your touch."

My hand shook as I moved it up to gently cup Rosalie's face. Black eyes moved from the door to me. The black was already starting to fade. "Rose," I said softly. I was pleased to hear that my voice was steady. "Come back to me."


	9. Chapter 9

Rosalie POV

"Come back to me."

Bella's words echoed in my head.

I stared into those chocolate eyes and I felt the anger fade away. Now that I wasn't blinded by the anger, I could feel Jasper's gift working. "Let me go," I told him. "And stop with the calm." Jasper let me go but the calm didn't stop.

"Come on," Alice said grabbing Jasper's hand. "Let's give them some privacy."

Emmett looked reluctant to leave. "Go Em," I told him. "I'm fine." I nodded toward Bella. The one way to guarantee I wouldn't do anything stupid was to put my human mate in the room with me.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked concerned.

I took a deep breath. The last thing I wanted to do was snap at Bella. She didn't deserve it. She never deserved it. "The things they were saying," I said gritting my teeth. "Calling you a…" I couldn't finish it. I could barely think it without getting angry again.

"Jessica and Lauren, they're all talk" Bella said, not at all bothered by what they said.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing can justify what they said," I snapped. I regretted snapping at her, especially when I saw her flinch. "I'm sorry Bella."

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Emmett is outside the door; in case I try to go after them again." I rolled my eyes. Like I was going to do that with Bella standing here. "Alice and Jasper went to the cafeteria to get you food."

"They didn't have to do that," she said.

"Maybe not, but I learned long ago not to argue with Alice," I said. I sat on the teacher's desk. "You can leave you know. I won't go on a murder spree."

"I don't want to go," Bella said honestly. She climbed on the desk and leaned against me.

"Are you trying to avoid Jessica and Lauren?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I prefer to avoid everyone," she said. "But specifically, them. I can imagine the kind of things they'll say if I go in there with you."

"Are you really worried about what they think?" I questioned.

Bella sighed. "No, not really." Her stomach growled.

"Come on," I said hopping off the desk. "You're hungry."

She followed me out of the classroom where Emmett was still standing, waiting for us. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"Rosalie you were going to murder two humans," Emmett said. "You're not fine."

"Tell me you didn't want to do the same," I said glaring at me.

"Alright, you win," he said holding his hands up. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"It'll be fine. By bringing Bella into this, you succeeded in making sure I wouldn't do anything stupid," I said. "I won't risk her safety. Even if it's to punish those… humans." My lip curled back. Bella must have sensed my anger as she squeezed my hand. I instantly relaxed.

As soon as we walked into the cafeteria all eyes were on us. I mentally rolled my eyes at all the rumors now flying. Some of were talking about the possibility of Bella and I dating. Others thought Emmett, Bella and I were in some ménage à trois. Not one of the human's better theories.

Alice waved at us as we got closer. "Bella," she greeted as if she hadn't just seen her.

"Hi Alice," Bella said sitting next to Alice.

"Don't worry about the humans," Jasper muttered to Bella. She crossed her arms over her chest, probably annoyed that he was so good at reading her. "It's okay. I'm used to that frustration."

Alice laughed. "You get used to it Bella."

"I don't know if I want to get used to it," Bella grumbled.

Jasper pushed the plate of food toward her. "Eat Bella." Alice pushed her own plate at Bella. One had pizza, the other had a salad. Bella grabbed the pizza. Alice smirked at Jasper. He rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead. Why Jasper continued to bet against Alice we would never know.

Alice looked at me. "Charlie would approve if we asked to have another sleepover, if you want to invite her. He's happy she's making friends. He's afraid she'll want to go back to her mother. Charlie believes if she makes friends she'll want to stay."

The thought of Bella going back to her mother was enough for Jasper to send me a wave of love and calm. "Thanks Jazz," I muttered too quietly for Bella to hear.

"She's not going," Alice told me. "In all my visions of the future, she never leaves Forks. Well there is a couple of her going to college. Dartmouth seems to be the popular choice. In every possible future she is always with you."

"You're not helping," I growled. The reminders that we would be together in the future reminded me that we weren't together now. I felt guilty for my thoughts. It wasn't Bella's fault we weren't together. It was no one's fault. She was human. I needed to give her time.

"Stop overthinking everything," Alice hissed, kicking my shin.

"What's going on?" Bella asked looking back and forth between me and Alice.

"Nothing," I told her. "Alice needs to learn to keep her comments to herself."

Alice glared at me. "Don't blame me," she huffed.

I glared back. "Stop reminding me of a future I may never have," I hissed too low for Bella to hear.

"Both of you need to stop having these quiet conversations," Jasper said. "Bella is more perceptive than you think. She's knows what you're doing. She thinks you're both hiding something and you are."

Alice tilted her head to the side. "Rosalie you may want to step outside. Your phone is about to ring."

Sure enough my phone started ringing. Caller ID said it was Edward. "I'll be right back," I told Bella.

"Hello," I answered once I was outside.

"_Rosalie," _Edward greeted. He sounded different.

"Edward," I greeted.

"_How are you?" _he questioned.

"Edward, you didn't call to check on me," I told him. I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"_You're right. How's Bella?" _he asked.

"She's alive," I answered, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

"_That's good. I'm glad she's alright," _he said.

"She knows about us," I added. "I told her everything."

"_I figured you would. I didn't give you much of a choice." _He paused. _"Alice told me about you two." _I held my breath and waited for him to continue. _"I was confused at first but Tanya explained it and I get it. Bella and I never would have worked. I wanted to let you know, I'm happy for you and Bella."_

"Thank you Edward," I said relieved. I was glad I didn't have to deal with an angry Edward on top of everything else.

"_Is she mad at me?" _he whispered.

"No," I said honestly. "She's scared of you but she's not mad. I think she understands more than we give her credit for."

"_You're worried_," Edward noted.

I sighed. "I am," I confirmed. "I'm always worried about her. It's a nagging thought in the back of my mind."

"_That doesn't sound bad," _Edward said. _"I would love to have someone to worry about like that. I had thought it was Bella…" _I growled. "_I was foolish I know. I should have known we weren't meant to be. After Emmett's experience with his singers, why did I think I would be any different?"_

"You had hope Edward," I told him. "There's nothing wrong with that. You will find her someday Edward. You need to be patient."

"_How did you know that she was the one?" _he asked. It was almost too quiet for me to hear.

"It's hard to explain," I said honestly. "I looked into her eyes and I just knew. It was as if nothing else mattered. I had to protect her even if it was from my own brother. I would have killed you if I thought I could win."

"_I would have let you," _Edward said. "_I would like to talk to her, when I return, if she is willing."_

"I will ask her," I said after a minute. The thought of him being anywhere near Bella made me uneasy, but that was her decision to make, not mine. It didn't mean I wouldn't do everything in my power to keep her safe.

"_Thanks Rosalie. I have to go. Tanya's making me hunt again_."

"Edward," I said before he hung up. "Don't beat yourself up too much over what happened. You're a good guy."

"_Thanks Rose_," he said before hanging up the phone.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked.

How did I miss she was standing behind me? I had been so focused on my conversation with Edward I didn't notice a human sneak up behind me. What a poor excuse of a vampire I was.

"I'm fine," I told her putting my phone away.

"You're lying," she said.

I sighed. "That was Edward." She flinched. "He wanted to check on you. He was worried about you."

She frowned. "He's back to normal? Back to being Edward?"

"I believe so," I said. "He sounded like the old Edward and I don't think Tanya would allow him to call if he wasn't okay."

"You've mentioned Tanya a few times but who is she?" Bella asked.

"She's the leader of the coven in Denali, Alaska," I explained. I don't know how I forgot to explain this to her. "We consider the Denali's our cousins because they survive on the animal diet, like us. They are more civilized."

"More civilized," Bella repeated. "Are other vampires not civilized?"

"Most are like Edward was," I said honestly. "They're not as aggressive but the idea is the same. They only care about blood and sex." Bella blushed. "Feeding on animals allows us to form bonds, real bonds. It makes us human in a way."

"But you're not human," Bella said to herself.

"I'm not," I agreed. "Does it bother you?"

Bella's chocolate eyes locked with mine. "It doesn't," she admitted. "I thought it would. But after spending time with you and the others. It doesn't matter if you're not human. I feel safe with you, safer than I thought possible."

She stepped toward me and wrapped her arms around me. I kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Bella."

She pulled away far quicker than I wanted. "I don't know how I feel about seeing him," she whispered. "I know he's not the same but still…"

"You're scared," I finished. She nodded. "It's okay to be scared. I would be more concerned if you weren't. But you have to know I wouldn't let anything happen to you, none of us would."

"I know. That's part of what scares me," Bella said, leaning against me. "You already said you would die for me. I don't want that to happen. I don't want you, or anyone else to die, especially not for me."

"I'm not going to die," I promised. I felt bad for making a promise that I wasn't sure I would be able to keep. True Alice hadn't seen anything about me dying, except for the other night. But it didn't mean it couldn't, or wouldn't happen. "We should head back inside. You still need to eat."

Bella allowed me to drag her back into the cafeteria. Everyone stared at us as we entered the room. "What are they saying?" Bella asked curious.

"I would rather not repeat what the boys are saying," I answered honestly. Their lewd comments made me want to rip their throats out. "The girls are mostly jealous that you are hanging out with us."

When we got back to the table Jasper was rubbing his head. "This teenage lust is ridiculous," Jasper groaned.

Alice kissed his cheek. I rolled my eyes as they got up and left the cafeteria. "Where did they go?"

"You don't want to know," I said before Emmett could open his mouth. I glared at him, daring him to say anything. He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut

After lunch was over, I walked Bella to her class. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emmett asked concerned.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"Was that Emmett?" Bella questioned. She had become good at noticing when I was talking to my siblings.

"It was," I confirmed. "He's worried I'm going to snap again."

"Are you?" Bella asked.

"Going to snap?" She nodded. "No, I'm not. As much as I hate Lauren and Jessica, and would love to see them dead, I won't do anything. You should go to class."

She kissed my cheek before heading into class.


	10. Chapter 10

Bella POV

"Bella," Emmett exclaimed running into my room and pulling me into his arms. He spun me around a few times. It was starting to make me dizzy.

"Easy Emmett," Alice scolded. Emmett released me and it was Alice's turn to hug me. She was far gentler than Emmett was.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked when Alice finally released me.

I watched them exchange looks, like they were trying to figure out what to say. "Edward's coming home tomorrow morning," Alice began.

I tensed up. I knew it was only a matter of time before he returned. I had been dreading it for the last two weeks. Ever since Edward had called Rosalie. It made everything more real. I told myself I would be ready to talk to him when he returned but now that it was happening, I was terrified.

"Where's Rosalie?" I muttered.

"Hunting," Alice answered. I hugged myself. "Don't be upset Bella." Alice hugged me. "Her eyes were getting black. I know you saw that. She needs to hunt. She will be back tonight. Until then Emmett and I will be with you. Actually, I wanted to see if you wanted to stay the weekend with us. I already saw Charlie agreeing but Rosalie said I had to ask you."

"How do you get Charlie to agree?" I questioned.

"He's worried you don't like being in Forks and will want to leave," Alice answered. "He's happy you made friends. He thinks you will want to stay if you have friends."

I frowned. I felt bad. I didn't like Forks when I first got here, but it was starting to grow on me. That was mainly because of Rosalie. I needed to work harder to show Charlie I was happy here. I didn't want him to worry about me leaving every other day, especially since I had no desire to leave.

"Alright, I'll go," I told Alice, even though she already knew my decision.

Alice grinned. "Great. Pack some things." She paused. "Emmett stay out of Bella's clothes."

The dresser drawer snapped shut. I whipped around to see Emmett trying to look innocent. I stared at him for a minute but he was frozen, like a statue. "Is that normal?" I asked resisting the urge to poke him and see if he did anything.

"Yes, we can sit still for years, like a statue," Alice explained. She rolled her eyes at Emmett. "Quit messing around Emmett."

Just as I tucked the last shirt into my bag, I heard the door open. Charlie was home. I glanced at Alice and Emmett, wondering how I was going to explain this. I mentally shrugged. Alice would have said something if them being here was a problem.

I rushed downstairs to greet Charlie. "Hey Bells, you seem to be in a good mood," Charlie noted.

"Hi Dad," I greeted, ignoring the comment about the good mood.

Alice and Emmett walked down the stairs. Charlie quickly hid his surprise at seeing them. "Alice, good to see you," Charlie said. "Sorry I don't know you."

"Emmett Cullen," Emmett introduced. "Nice to meet you Chief Swan."

"You too Emmett." Charlie frowned. "How old are you son?"

I tensed up slightly until Alice started laughing. "Eighteen Chief Swan," Emmett replied. "I started school a little late."

Charlie nodded. He seemed to think Emmett was older. It wasn't surprising considering how big Emmett was. Plus, Emmett actually was older than eighteen, in vampire and human years. Not that Charlie needs to know that. "What brings you kids here today?" Charlie questioned.

I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle. They were anything but kids.

"I was hoping Bella would be free for another sleepover," Alice told him. Charlie glanced at Emmett. "Oh, Emmett won't be there. The guys are going hiking but my sister Rosalie and I didn't want to go. We were hoping to hang out with Bella instead."

Charlie turned to me. "What do you think Bells?"

I shrugged, not wanting him to know how much I did want to go. "It sounds fun," I said. Assuming Alice didn't try to force me to go shopping.

"I don't see a problem with it. Just make sure you get your homework done," Charlie said in an attempt to sound stern.

"Sure Dad," I agreed, not bothering to tell him that it was already done. "I'll go pack."

"I'll help," Alice announced following me up the stairs.

"Is it a good idea to leave them alone?" I asked.

"They'll bond over football," Alice assured me. "After a quick talk where Emmett assures Charlie that he isn't dating you."

I blushed. "Does Charlie really think I'm dating Emmett?"

"Not really," Alice said leaning against the door to the bathroom. "It's more of Charlie reassuring himself that you're not dating him. Speaking of dating, are you going to tell Charlie about Rosalie?"

I paused my packing to look at Alice. "You know that better than me."

"Actually, I don't," Alice disagreed with a frown. "You haven't made up your mind so I can't see it. It doesn't have to be a conscious thought," she added seeing my confused face. "One decision about something small could affect that decision."

"Your gift is a lot more complicated than it should be," I grumbled.

Alice laughed. "Yeah, it is complicated. But it's worth it because I see a future where you're with Rosalie and you're both happy. Hurry and pack. We have things to do."

I looked to Emmett for help. I didn't want to know the things Alice had planned for us. He shook his head. He wasn't getting involved. "Do I want to know?" I dared to ask.

Alice shrugged. "Probably not. But hurry anyway. Esme is cooking dinner for you and I promised to go to Port Angeles for Jazz before we had home."

"Port Angeles?" I questioned as I shoved more clothes into my bag. The last time I went there it didn't end well.

"Breathe Bella," Alice said. "You will be safe there with Emmett and I." She stared at me. "Would you rather go to the house with Emmett?"

"I…"

"Rosalie will be back by the time we all get back from Port Angeles," Alice continued. "But if you would rather stay and wait…"

"I'll go," I said quickly. The sooner we got Jasper's stuff from Port Angeles, the sooner I would see Rosalie.

I quickly finished packing and Emmett and Alice followed me downstairs. "Bye Charlie," I called from the entryway.

I heard the TV pause. "Have fun Bella," he called.

"Whose car is this?" I asked when we got outside. The car in question was an expensive looking Mercedes. I couldn't tell the make of the car by looking at it. I wasn't an expert in cars after all.

"Carlisle's," Alice answered. "He is off today and offered to let me use it."

Emmett threw my bag into the back of the car and opened the passenger side door for me. Alice got in the driver's side. She glanced at me to see if I had my seat belt on, though I don't know why she bothered, before pulling out of the driveway.

"When is Edward coming home?" I questioned. I knew it was tomorrow but was hoping for a more specific time.

"I don't know," Alice answered. "He's still upset over what he did. He's scared to come home and he keeps changing his mind."

"Why would he be scared?" I asked confused. I knew he was upset by what he did but why would he be scared?

"He attacked you," Alice reminded me. "He attacked Rosalie's mate. Plus, he killed multiple humans."

"The humans deserved it," Emmett snorted. "Carlisle isn't mad about that. He's sad about the loss of human life but not mad."

"Edward should be scared," Alice continued. "I don't see anything bad happening. But he knew the risks when he got close to his singer. He should have been more careful."

"What are we picking up for Jasper?" I asked as we reached Port Angeles.

"He ordered some books," Alice answered. "We need to stop at the auction house. Jazz bought some Civil War memorabilia. Plus, we need to go to the mall and pick up the jeans I ordered for him." She studied me. "We could pick up some clothes for you as well."

I eyed Alice warily. I didn't like the thought of shopping with her. She always went overboard and would buy clothes I would never wear. "Fine, but I get to pick the clothes," I told her.

Alice pulled into a parking space. "Deal."

The three of us walked to the bookstore. The walk felt so familiar. Yet there was one big difference. This time I was safe. I had Alice and Emmett with me.

The chime rang as we entered the bookstore. Alice went up to the counter while Emmett and I wandered the aisles. Emmett went straight to the comic books. I pulled out a few books to look out. One was about different types of cars. Rosalie loved cars so it was something I was interested in learning. The other was about the Civil War.

"Do you want those?" Alice asked.

I jumped. I didn't hear her. "No, it's fine. I was just looking while you got Jasper's stuff."

Alice rolled her eyes and took the books from my hands. "You're a terrible liar Bella." She paid for my two books and Emmett's comic books and we left the store. "Why the Civil War?"

"I need it for a school project," I answered.

We headed back to the car. "You know Jasper is an expert on the Civil War. If you need help with a project you should talk to him."

"I'll talk to him," I promised. "I find the Civil War interesting anyway. That's why I chose it for my project."

"Oh, you and Jasper will have a lot to talk about," Alice said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Jasper was human during the Civil War," Alice explained. "He even fought as the youngest Major in the Confederate Army."

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew they were all old but I didn't really think they would be that old. "Is that when he turned?" I asked.

Alice pulled into the auction house parking lot. "That you need to talk to him about," Alice said. "The stories of how we were changed… they're rather personal for some."

"Is that why Rosalie hasn't told me about her?" I asked.

Alice turned off the car. "Yes. Her change… it was the hardest out of all of us. It's still painful to her." She turned to face me. "Talk to her Bella. She will tell you if you ask."

Emmett and I stayed in the car while Alice picked up Jasper's things. "Bella," Emmett called getting my attention. I undid my seatbelt and turned to face him. "How do you feel about Rosalie? I'm not trying to be nosy or anything. It's just… I care about Rosalie. I even loved her once. She's been through a lot and I don't want her to get hurt."

I glanced up and saw Alice waiting at the entrance, giving us some time to talk. "I don't want to hurt her Emmett. I care about her but I don't know if it's love. I believe I could love her, given time."

Emmett nodded. "I can live with that."

"Emmett, do you still love her?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure I wanted the answer.

"A part of me does," he said honestly. "Part of me will always love her. But I know she doesn't love me. She never did. And she's found her mate. I never stood a chance."

I felt bad for Emmett. He lost the woman he loved to a human. He knew he would never be with Rosalie since they weren't mates but still, it must hurt him. I squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry Emmett."

"Don't be," he said with a small smile. "All I've ever wanted was for her to be happy." Alice took that moment to get back in the car. We drove off to the mall.

Two very long hours later we left the mall. Alice kept her word and let me pick out my own clothes. What she didn't say is that she was going to buy everything for me. She did offer some suggestions but did not force me to pick anything and I was grateful for that. Even Emmett had gotten some new shirts.

"Rosalie will be home when we get there," Alice said. I sighed in relief. I missed having her close by. I looked to Alice and found her eyes were glazed over. I started to get worried since she was driving. Before I could say anything, her eyes returned to normal. "Edward will be there as well."


	11. Chapter 11

Rosalie POV

I knew something was going on as soon as I got closer to the house. I could practically smell the tension. Alice and Emmett had Bella in Port Angeles. That left Jasper, Carlisle and Esme home. Something big had to be going on for it to be so tense at home. I could only think of one thing that would cause that kind of tension.

Edward.

I sniffed the air as I approached the house. Edward wasn't here. I could still smell him but it was weeks old. The voices stopped when I got to the door.

"Don't stop on my account," I said walking into my home.

Jasper appeared first. "Rose," he greeted.

My eyes narrowed. He was far too tense for my liking. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"Edward will be here in five minutes," Jasper answered right away. "Bella will be here in ten."

I closed my eyes. I knew Edward was coming today but I didn't expect so soon. I expected to be able to talk to Edward, to make sure it was safe for Bella to be here. I wouldn't even be able to talk to Bella beforehand and make sure she was okay.

"Does Bella know?" I asked. That was my only priority.

"Alice told her as soon as she found out," Jasper confirmed. "Alice says she will be scared although she will try to hide it. Edward isn't a danger to her," he added before I could ask. "Alice hasn't seen anything happening to Bella. Even if he did lose control Emmett and I will be there."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "I don't like this. I was hoping to at least talk to Bella before he showed up."

Sounds of tires on gravel caught my attention. I cocked my head to the side. Edward had arrived. I was at the door before anyone could react. I pulled the door open before Edward could do anything.

"Rosalie," he greeted cautiously. His eyes were back to gold. There was no trace of the red associated with human blood.

"Edward," I said crossing my arms over my chest.

Jasper put a hand on my shoulder. "He's fine. I feel nothing but remorse and fear from him."

"Rosalie, I cannot begin to express how sorry I am," Edward began. "Not only for attacking Bella but for trying to pursue her."

"You didn't know Edward. I've never been angry at you for being interested in Bella," I said honestly. That hadn't even crossed my mind. I couldn't be angry with him. I didn't even know she was my mate at the time.

Edward nodded. "I know. I felt I should still apologize." He looked around the room. "Bella's not here."

"She will be here in a few minutes. She's with Alice and Emmett," I informed him. Not that I owed him an explanation.

"Does she know I'm here?" he asked, ignoring my mental comment.

"She does," I confirmed. "Alice told her."

A car pulled into the driveway. I could hear Bella's heartbeat and had no doubt Edward could as well. I looked for some sign of discomfort on his face. I saw nothing. He was the same Edward that was intrigued by the human whose mind he couldn't read.

I left the house to meet Bella. I wasn't concerned about Edward, at least not right now. I was at the passenger side door just as Bella started to open the door. She turned and jumped at the sight of me.

"Rosalie," she exclaimed. I listened to her heartbeat slowly return to normal. She got out of the car and threw her arms around my neck.

"Hello love," I greeted breathing in her scent.

Bella pulled away. "Is he here?" she whispered.

"He's inside," I said. I won't lie to her. Even in an attempt to protect her.

"How is he?" Bella questioned.

"He's Edward. He seems to be back to normal. He wants to talk to you," I added. She stiffened in my arms. "He's not a danger to you."

"Okay," she decided.

I held her hand as I led her inside the house. Emmett and Alice were right behind us, both carrying the bags from their shopping trip. "Bella got some clothes," Alice told me. "She even let me pay."

I was surprised to hear she accepted our money. Alice was a little too good at persuading people. She must have learned it from Jasper.

The atmosphere immediately changed. Bella was tense again. I gently rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb.

Edward stayed out of sight at first. I wasn't sure what he was waiting for. It better not be him trying to make some dramatic, grand entrance. Edward chuckled. "I'm not being dramatic," he promised. "I'm waiting for her to be more comfortable."

"That might not happen," I warned. "It may be best to get it over with."

Edward stepped around the corner. Bella tightened her grip on my hand. I was worried she was going to break her hand in the process. "Hello Bella," he said softly.

"Edward," she choked out.

Jasper approached us. He walked over to Bella and put his hand on her shoulder. I could feel her starting to relax. "Thanks Jasper," I told him.

"Bella," Edward said once she started calming down. "Perhaps we should sit."

I led Bella over to the couch. We waited while Jasper worked his magic. "I'm okay," Bella said. I knew she was lying. She was trying too hard to be okay but she couldn't hide it from me.

"Bella, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for everything I've done to you," Edward said. "I never meant to put you in harm's way. That night in Port Angeles, I followed you to make sure you were safe. I attacked those men," his lip curled in disgust, "I didn't think. I'm sorry."

Bella nodded. "I'm not mad at you Edward," Bella said finally. "You're a vampire. You did what vampires do. But—"

"You're afraid of me," Edward finished.

"I thought you can't read my mind," Bella said nervously.

Edward laughed. I could see why Bella thought he was reading her mind. She was rather predictable at least to me. "We knew you would be scared of him," I said gently. "We didn't need Jasper's gift for that."

"It's okay to be scared," Jasper added. "That's what makes you human."

"Bella," Edward said. "I don't expect you to forgive me or even feel comfortable around me. But I hope in time we can be friends."

This was one of those times where I wished I had Jasper's gift. It was so hard not knowing what she was feeling in this moment. I wasn't sure if Bella was okay, or if I should end this and take her home.

"She's fine," Jasper told me. "Now that I stabilized her emotions, they are holding steady. As long as you stay close to her she will be fine."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said tightening my grip on Bella.

Edward nodded. He understood he wasn't to be around Bella unless I was there. Although I would be fine if it were Jasper, Emmett or Alice in my place.

"What's going on?" Bella asked looking back and forth between the three of us.

I had forgotten how perceptive she was. She always knew we were talking, even if she couldn't hear us. "Jasper was saying your emotions are more stable now. That you're getting more comfortable around Edward, but I need to stay close to you."

Edward raised an eyebrow at me. "You told her?" He seemed surprised.

"I don't keep secrets from her Edward," I told him. "She knows everything."

"Even the mating bond?" he wanted to know.

I nodded. "Even the mating bond," I confirmed. "If you ever want to be with someone Edward, human or vampire, you can't lie to protect them. In the end it just hurts them."

Edward looked thoughtful. He wasn't going to change overnight. We both knew that. But maybe someday he would realize what I said was true. He stared at me, listening to my thoughts. "Sorry," he said. "I'm trying not to listen as much."

"Jazz," Alice said getting Jasper's attention. "Bella has a project on the Civil War. She could use your help with it."

I wasn't sure what Alice was trying to accomplish. Now really wasn't the time for homework. But I could feel Bella relax in my arms. It was something normal for her to focus on.

"Civil War," Jasper repeated. He smiled. "I can do that."

Jasper ran off to his room and returned with a dozen books in his hand. Bella stared at the mountain of books. It was hard to tell if she was surprised by the number of books he was holding, or how fast he had gotten them.

Bella pulled herself away from me to go sit at the table with Jasper. "What is your assignment on?"

"We have to write letters to soldiers, as if we lived in that time," Bella answered. "We can be a family member, friend or spouse."

"Give me a second," Jasper said before disappearing upstairs again. A second later he reappeared with letters in his hand. "Read these. It may help you come up with some ideas."

"What are these?" Bella asked.

"Letters from my family when I was in the Civil War," Jasper replied.

"She looks happy," Edward noted. "That's good. She seems close to Jasper."

"Jasper's a good support for her," I told him. "All it took was trusting him." I stared at him, wondering if he understood what I was telling him.

"I get it," he said. "I shouldn't have pushed him away. I pushed all of you away."

"Just because you can read minds doesn't mean you know everything," I told him.

He watched Bella and Jasper work on an outline for the letters Bella would be writing. "Do you plan on turning her?"

I raised an eyebrow at Edward. "Does it matter?" I countered.

"It doesn't," he said. "I was merely curious. When I thought there was a chance of the two of us being together, the thought of changing her was utterly horrifying."

"I don't want her to turn," I admitted. Jasper looked up but didn't comment. "I don't want to take away her chance to have a family. But the thought of not being with her forever… I don't know which is worse."

"I get it," Edward said.

I watched Jasper and Bella work together on Bella's homework. "She's good for him," Alice told me. "The more time they spend together… the more human he feels. He forgets about his fear of hurting her."

I was content to watch them work. Bella's face lit up every time Jasper gave her a compliment on her work. Normally, I would be jealous that Jasper was making her smile. But Bella was happy and that was really all I cared about.

Esme came out with a tray of snacks. She sat it at the table by Bella. "Thanks Esme," she said with a smile.

I had no idea what Esme brought Bella but it smelled revolting. A small part of my mind was concerned Esme had poisoned her unintentionally. But Bella happily munched whatever it was, with no sign of distress.

I glanced at Edward. He was shaking his head and laughing. No doubt hearing my thoughts of Esme poisoning Bella. "I wasn't serious," I told him.

Edward laughed. "I know. It was still amusing."

"She'll be okay with you," I told him when it got quiet. "She's scared now but she's still getting used to vampires. Once she gets settled, she'll be more comfortable around you."

"You're okay with that? With us being friends?" Edward questioned.

"I'm not her mother. I'm not even her girlfriend. I can't stop her from being your friend," I said. I leaned back in my seat. "As long as you're not trying to steal my mate, there's no reason you two can't be friends."

"I won't he promised." He stood. "I'm going to go hunt. Thank you Rose. I appreciate you giving me another chance." I didn't say anything as he walked out of the room.


End file.
